As Internet technology encroached on the public school classroom about a decade ago, Kim Ross, superintendent of the Houston School District in Houston, Minnesota, saw an opportunity. At first, he and his administrative team simply wanted to offer students in the district of 1,300 access to more classes via the web than what a district that size…

Good teachers were shying away from accepting 4th-grade positions because of the growing accountability pressures that were being unfairly brought to bear on that grade level. Highly publicized reports of the state's new battery of standardized assessments were scaring off applicants. To address the personnel needs while more fairly sharing the…

A review of significant research studies on high school restructuring supports four key findings. Reforms must be connected to instruction; remotely imposed mandates do not improve achievement; restructuring produces modest achievement gains; and high schools with smaller enrollments create a better sense of belonging for students and more…

Professional educators may be behind the times in their thinking about school size. Many educational leaders mistakenly believe that large schools provide better learning environments at less cost than smaller schools. Actually, there are few conclusive before-and-after consolidation studies, consolidation does not seem to save money, and small…

A national study of rural superintendents identified several fiscal practices to maximize resources, including seeking bids and comparison pricing for purchases, paying bills promptly where discounts are available, employing aggressive energy conservation measures, joining a regional service agency to provide services and programs, and increasing…

Solid research evidence links smaller schools to fewer discipline problems, lower dropout rates, higher student participation levels, and steadier academic progress. Large buildings are no obstacle. Creating small schools requires top administrators to lend impetus and support, facilitate teacher volunteer groups, develop clear policies, adjust…

U.S. and British school leaders are preoccupied with many of the same issues, including the curriculum and its assessment, the reporting of pupil achievement and use of raw scores, site-based management, parental choice as a quality lever, small schools, the school board's role, and different approaches to quality improvement. Overemphasis of…

Social capital and generalized trust are declining. Civic "watering-holes" like bowling leagues, fraternal organizations, choral societies, and "do-gooder" groups are drying up. Schools must spur greater parental involvement, make schools smaller, stress community service, teach civics, fund extracurricular activities, and…

A U.S. Department of Education study shows that the average 12th-grade African-American student is reading and doing math at around the level of the average 8th-grade white or Asian student. Hispanic students are about as far behind. Both African-Americans and Hispanic college students obtain diplomas at half the rate of white or Asian students.…