Twenty years ago, a report by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) changed the national discussion about what must be done to improve America's schools so that all students experience success. The Commission drew attention to the overlooked fact that the most important school variable affecting student achievement is…

This article challenges the view that citywide referenda alone are an effective means of ensuring accountability for mayoral control. Through new empirical analysis of the referenda results in Boston and Cleveland, the article shows that rather than establish genuine democratic legitimacy, the referenda in fact mask strong class-based, and in…

This report offers recommendations for building community support for federal school turnaround approaches, particularly in communities that oppose these approaches. Parents, the report concludes, want improvement but cherish their local schools and distrust the turnaround options mandated from above by higher levels of government. Thus,…

It's been a decade since former President Bush proposed and Congress passed the No Child Left Behind law. The goal of this law was to raise student achievement and reduce the gap between different groups of students, especially white and minority students. The law's passage reflected a broad consensus among elected officials, business leaders and…

For many years, policymakers and the public have been holding students and schools accountable for improvement, but there was no way to determine whether the public and its elected officials and community organizations were doing their part to strengthen public schools. To address this shortcoming, Public Education network (PEN), with funding from…

This paper examines the extent to which legitimacy affects program continuation, and focuses on the process by which programs attempt to maintain legitimate status through conformity with the larger environment. Legitimacy is defined as cultural support from a program's larger environment, such as the school district or community. An innovative…

Success in new missions for community colleges requires a sense of legitimacy that colleges have lost in recent years, in terms of the internal and external conviction that the college's activities are necessary, worthy, and effective. (MB)

The author suggests three ways which, when considered together, provide an operational definition of the community-based, performance-oriented community college. The first way is through expanded access to further education; the second, creation of a community renewal college; and the third is through a new difinition of the teaching/learning…

This booklet examines the problem of gaining public support for the schools. It examines the leadership role of the school superintendent; discusses integrity, accountability, and decentalization; and explains some methods of building support among community leaders. The publication closes with a summary of the steps taken by the Dallas school…

The author suggests a method by which educational expenditures may be related to educational needs without the use of computers or PPBS. Teachers and principals are actively involved in this budget process, which seems especially relevant to small districts that have no access to computers. (Author/DN)

Author suggests specific things that the research community can do to improve their relationship with the "users"-decision makers who finance the research or decide whether schools are going to use the research findings. The need for improved communication networks is stressed. (AM)

The implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal legislation in 2001 exemplifies extreme reaction to an escalating public unrest with educational systems over the past several decades of "educational reform." Effective public relations and communication with stakeholders is threatened during this time of increased public…

Explores ways to establish good communications with the public that will lead to credibility, support, and bond-referendum success. Lists 10 reasons why bond referendums fail. (LMI)

Although David Hornbeck became Philadelphia Schools' new superintendent in September 1994, critics are already saying the honeymoon is over. In a school system characterized by student absenteeism, high dropout rates, minimal community support, and declining resources, Hornbeck's reform agenda (Children Achieving) may receive inadequate support.…

Describes how educators in the Pearl River School District, Pearl River, New York, have implemented Total Quality Management (TQM) principles to evaluate and improve their effectiveness. Includes two charts that depict key indicators of financial and academic performance and a seven-year profile of the district's budget, enrollment, diploma rate,…