The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine the prevalence and growth of segregation in K-12 public schools. This report examined the extent of (1) racial, ethnic, and economic divisions in K-12 public schools; and (2) district secession and any resulting student demographic shifts. To determine the extent of divisions along…

Redrawing school attendance boundaries is one of the most sensitive tasks a school board faces. Factors to consider include the following: (1) life span of the change; (2) effective date; (3) racial balance; (4) resource equity; and (5) program, public, and financial impact. Outlines a process for developing redistricting plans. (MLF)

Area service agencies have been structured in many states to enhance service while preserving local school districts. A variety of patterns of cooperation have developed. In North Dakota a study team considered issues, based on the organizational and financial characteristics of existing area service agencies, about the organization of the…

Seven schools each in five Florida school districts were examined after they had received a rating of F by the state's accountability plan. The ratings are based on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test levels for reading, math, and writing as well as attendance-related data. Using criteria developed by the U.S. Department of Education's…

The Strategic Management of Human Capital in Education Project was founded in 2008 with one goal: to improve student achievement dramatically in the 100 largest urban school districts. Unless teaching quality and principal leadership improve significantly, lasting education improvement is impossible. In policy terms, without "strategic management"…

Examined relationship between 1983-84 Nebraska high school enrollments and program breadth and junior-senior high school enrollments and teacher endorsement rates. Concluded rural district reorganization/consolidation resulting in larger secondary grade enrollments would probably result in more course offerings but would not affect percentage of…

A comprehensive, field-tested plan for changing school attendance boundaries involves community-based committees that analyze the relevant data (with support from central office staff members) and develop the initial recommendations for the school board. Outlines a six-step process and lists some basic principles. (MLF)

Administrators are looking at decentralization as a solution to issues troubling schools, teachers, and students. The notion of decentralization is accompanied by two assumptions. First, decentralization will produce an improvement in education because classroom decision making will be more responsive to the specific needs of a school. Second, in…

This booklet proposes a 10-year plan for restructuring local school districts entitled "Education by Charter." An introductory section cites current demands for educational reform and cites proposed remedies in order to suggest that nothing short of fundamental change in the internal organization of the school district will sustain and incorporate…

The Catholic Schools of Belmont County, Ohio, like many other public and parochial schools, have experienced declining enrollments over the past few years. The causes may be attributed to declining family size and to economic factors affecting the area. The paper describes a study of Belmont County's five Catholic schools undertaken by the Office…

This report contains findings and recommendations based on a study conducted to determine the feasibility of merging the Pitt County and Greenville County (North Carolina) school systems. Each school system is described in terms of pupil population patterns, building use, and educational and administrative services; issues related to these…

In response to declining state funding levels and limited options for increasing revenues, this report reviews existing Texas state legislation on community college district expansion via annexation and recommends possible statutory modifications to ease the process of annexing territory to existing districts. First, introductory material…

Because larger schools offer advantages such as a greater variety of activities, economic efficiency, and a sense of identity in the community, schools are often combined. Beyond these positive effects, however, school consolidation has some negative aspects. These liabilities include less human contact, less input from teachers in…

The pressures of a nation-wide decline in educational funding coupled with the increase in demands for accountability has renewed legislative discussion about the efficacy of school consolidation. This national survey of school superintendents who have experienced school merger, explored the effects of consolidation on school communities,…

Over the last 10 years, declining school enrollments resulted in nearly 30,000 school closures nationwide. Little research has been done, however, on the effects of closing a high school. This report interprets data gathered both before and after the closing of Wheaton Warrenville High School in a large Chicago suburban school district to…