Gross sexual imbalance is making school boards and public education itself the worse for it. (Author)

Describes issues related to St. Louis (Missouri) city officials' hiring of an outside firm to run the public schools. Draws implications for urban school governance. (PKP)

Teacher control of public education is a possibility. If it eventuates, the concept of local, lay, public control of the schools is going to be severely shaken. (Author/WM)

Describes the takeover of urban districts by city majors. Profiles the cities of Cleveland, Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago. Also describes partnership between Chelsea (Massachusetts) Public Schools and Boston University and state takeover of California's Compton Unified School District. Includes list of districts with more than 100,000…

Argues that urban school boards must understand and practice good governance and reform leadership to create functional, effective school districts. Describes how this can be accomplished by adopting high expectations for student performance, becoming leaders in the community, practicing the fundamentals of good governance, and formulating a…

A board member in an Iowa district explains the importance of presenting 4-minute summaries of educational news and trends at board meetings. In choosing items for presentation, she considers relevance, context, perspective, terminology, awareness, and national political developments. (MLH)

After 34 years in public school governance and administration, Thomas Shannon will retire formally as the executive director of the National School Boards Association. Shannon sets forth 13 ways superintendents can enhance critically important relationships with their school boards. (MLF)

Seven suggestions are provided to help superintendents plan and conduct more cohesive school board meetings: (1) research all proposals; (2) schedule time for discussion; (3) anticipate questions; (4) include background, rationale, and options for proposals; (5) present reports lucidly; (6) allow for independent exploration; and (7) follow up on…

Bureaucratic inefficiency aside, Chicago public schools are failing dismally in their basic educational mission. A new school reform plan promises to turn systemwide failure into success by weakening the central bureaucracy's power and turning the ignition key over to 541 school-based councils. A sidebar claims that courts could determine the real…

As a result of working on the educational problems in Russia, where more than 100 ethnic groups now control the schools, Stephen Heyneman explores the link between schooling and democratic values. Claims that one of America's greatest potential exports is its tradition of local democratic governance and that the United States could do more to…

Offers points for consideration by both school boards and charter-school advocates. Important elements of a successful charter school include vision, hands-on administrators, a commitment to staff development, and founders who also serve as maintainers. (LMI)

A recently elected school board member discovers in an old book, "The Challenge of School Board Membership," by Daniel R. Davies and Fred W. Hosler, that despite the passage of 50 years, the basic operation of a school board has not changed much. (MLF)

Under Policy Governance, superintendents get full authority to run districts, but their actions must be aligned with board policy and certain board-imposed limitations. Boards' policy can change dramatically with elections, causing a change in Policy- Governance climate. Board decisions cannot be changed unless a majority approves. (MLH)

Findings from "Getting There from Here," a yearlong study of effective school leadership in 10 districts in 5 states, identify some of the problems that get in the way of effective school leadership. Offers nine practices that boards and superintendents can use to work together to achieve district goals. (MLF)

In Massachusetts; Washington D.C.; New York City; Chicago; Baltimore; Cleveland; and a host of other big cities, challenges to both elected and appointed local school boards have become commonplace in the last year. Discusses the situation in Chicago. (MLF)