In order to achieve school finance reform at the state level, six levels of local and state educational and political responsibility must be involved. The six levels are educational leadership (local and state school executives), the executive and legislative branches of government, the state educational department, the teachers association, the…

Two related questions are investigated in this research: (1) the characteristics which differentiate those schools which extensively use educational innovations from those which do not; and (2) the factors that determine whether innovation will be a carefully thought-out and discriminating process, rather than a process primarily influenced by…

Even though public school districts are structured with the expectation of responsive governance, most school boards are not particularly responsive to their constituents. School boards from politically contentious districts tend to be more responsive, but they have even less success challenging the dominance of the superintendent than do less…

Different program design concepts which are needed for the preparation of school superintendents in the 1970s are suggested in this study. Two approaches were used, one involving an analysis of forces judged to have had an important impact on education in the 1960s, and the other based on the perceptions of superintendents and professors about…

A study of the problems and decision making processes associated with the integration of New York City's public schools focuses on the reaction of the dominant white community to proposed integration policies. The research was funded by the U.S. Office of Education, Cooperative Research Program. The volume discusses the scope and method of this…

The Pennsylvania Nonpublic Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed into law in June 1968. It authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction of that State to enter into contracts to purchase secular educational service from nonpublic schools in Pennsylvania. This guide contains (1) the law, (2) definitions of terms, (3) a statement…

This publication represents a major attempt by the Massachusetts Department of Education to involve itself in what educators call the "change process" -- using research to help develop solutions to educational problems, and disseminating results to facilitate adoption of those solutions by many schools. Title III provides federal funds…

This study is an exploratory research effort dealing specifically with the relationship between six independent variables (number of private schools, city or county school district, metropolitan or nonmetropolitan location of schools, private school affiliation, private school types, existence of social elite enrolled in private schools) and a…

This six-step model examines the role of six potential participants in the educational policy formation process. The six steps are proposal development, executive recommendation (performed by the superintendent), legislative action (by the school board), supplementary change, implementation, and review. The six potential participants in this…

Concurrent with a needs assessment and community input study, a research team undertook two behavioral science research efforts. The first was an identification and examination of the influence network through which local leadership was organized. The second was an examination of how those who constituted the network of policy-making influentials…

This handbook is intended to provide school board members with a good basic understanding of the school board's duties and functions and its relationship to the community, the school administration, and the school staff. Chapters 1-4 focus in turn on the topics of school board organization and operation, school board-superintendent relationships,…

Summarizes recent scholarship on superintendents and classroom learning. Concludes that central-office involvement is infrequent but probably necessary for widespread school improvement. Proposes guidelines for future research. (BJV)

In 2002, a survey was sent to every local educational agency's superintendent. After a period of four weeks, a follow-up survey was sent to the superintendents who had not responded. The respondents to the survey totaled 505 of a possible 894. The intent of this survey was to develop a perspective of local school district superintendents. A…

This volume was created around the premise that America's schools face a crisis in leadership. For America to have the great schools it needs, schools and their school systems must have great leaders. After a foreword by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and an introduction by Eli Broad, the book is divided into three parts. The first part presents a manifesto…

This report is the first in a series of policy papers on the education of educators. It offers a comprehensive analysis of the university-based programs that educate the majority of the nation's school principals and superintendents. Of the approximately 250,000 school administrators employed in the United States, nearly all were trained at…