Superintendents across the country have shared their frustration with planning initiatives that consume valuable chunks of time and energy without yielding a viable tool to drive improvement and accountability. In this article, the authors provide an example that reflects the actual experience of a school district whose identity they are shielding…

Breaks community member attitudes toward education into three groups: Supporters, nonsupporters, and neutrals. Describes how best to communicate with individuals in each group. (PKP)

Superintendent of the McComb Separate School District in Mississippi describes actions taken by his school district to implement an effective student health program. Includes, for example, getting community buy-in, building on community leadership, supporting health and wellness for everyone in the school. Briefly describes the nine components of…

Offers several research-based recommendations for sustaining small high schools in rural communities. For example, work with community members to establish a local endowment for the high school. (PKP)

The Central Bucks (Pennsylvania) Educational Foundation is one of approximately 1,500 public education foundations established by cities, towns, and school districts across the nation. About 65 urban districts have foundations belonging to the Public Education Fund Network. Annual budgets range from $3 thousand to $2 million. Benefits and startup…

School leaders and policymakers are increasingly challenged by vocal, well-organized opponents to progressive practices, curricular approaches, and recommended textbooks used in school classrooms. Two superintendents disclose their strategies for managing lawsuits involving a Michigan school health program and an Ohio district's adoption of the…

Since 1962, the National Center for Community Education and the Coalition for Community Schools (NCCE) has been promoting community schools by providing leadership development, training and technical assistance. The Coalition is an alliance of 170 national, state and local organizations that promotes community schools as the most effective vehicle…

Educators capitalize on national attention through two vehicles: foundations and coalitions. Generally focused on raising money, successful foundations have broad community support. Coalitions, made up of state groups, work to improve the image of education. Outlined are groups successful in developing community support. (MD)

Better understanding and increased resources are a result of partnerships between schools and communities. Changes in societal patterns and lessened federal support necessitate this reordering in education. Nine steps are presented for developing such partnerships. (MD)

Describes how two school districts--one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the other in Yorktown, Virginia--involved their communities in a school building and renovation planning process called discovery through viewpoint and diagram (DVD). (PKP)

Effective superintendents recognize three key management precepts and their hidden rules. Administrators should avoid mixing emotion and logic, attending to detractors' emotional needs before presenting a differing viewpoint. They should be graceful under pressure, expect the unexpected, and build coalitions gradually, mindful of all community…

Community-service programs that lack administrative or community support are destined to fail. The success of mandatory programs depends on careful preparations, stakeholder buy-in, academic merits, program quality, staff support, safeguards for students, accurate recordkeeping, and recognition of long-term educational benefits. (MLH)

The role of the superintendent has changed dramatically, from community leader to school manager to education leader to scapegoat, and it is anyone's guess where the job is headed. What is clear, however, is that today's educational climate calls for a new way of doing business. With the formal powers of their position stripped away by bargaining…

Beginning on the front cover, this article recommends planning ahead and involving the community in surplus school use decisions. It suggests turning surplus schools into projects restoring historic buildings and benefitting neighborhoods. (JM)

More superintendents are growing disillusioned and retreating to become principals, curriculum directors, or assistant superintendents. A California study showed that nearly 14% of superintendents assumed a lesser position rather than retiring. This article profiles former superintendents who blame unresponsive communities, inadequate preparation,…