This study measured the salience of, sentiment of, and topics about schools in social media. Based on a mixed-methods approach, results indicated that school districts do not appear to be discussed often or widely, but the small numbers of people who communicate about districts do so repeatedly, positively, and in concentration. Larger and…

Since 2002, year after year, lack of financial support has been identified consistently as the biggest problem facing public schools. This article details three programs deployed by a suburban district: annual fund campaigns, "principal for a day" programs, and classroom wishlists. These initiatives serve to raise additional funding and…

School districts are facing a sensationalized and alarming trend of unprofessional conduct and social media misuse by public school teachers. Likewise, recent court cases as well as highly publicized scandals raise concern that inappropriate relationships between teachers and students can be initiated through online social media. These emergent…

In central Texas and regions across the country, community leaders are calling for university-community engagement, including development of structures for community-based research and service learning. Including the community in decision making regarding continuing professional education serves as a link between universities such as Texas A&M…

Fundamental to updating a fixed-rate salary schedule for teachers is the reliance on a relevant labor market containing comparisons to other school districts--that is, object school districts, which can be chosen from a policy or empirical/efficiency perspective. As such, four relevant markets having roots in neoclassical economic…

Despite the key role that principals play in leading schoolwide change, districts' efforts to support principals are often limited, particularly in rural settings. In this article, we report the preliminary findings of a cross-district mentoring program for nine midcareer rural school principals. The collaboratively developed human resource…

This article examines the relationship between schools and society in the United States and uses human, social, and cultural capital theories to reframe the discussion of the role of schools in nurturing parent engagement. We argue that the ramifications of parent engagement in schools transcend functionalist ideas of complying with state and…

This study examined the relative importance that school principals attach to aspects of their role as marketing managers for their schools and their relative satisfaction with their efforts to date. The study included 60 principals from two school districts. Findings suggest that principals are aware of the importance of marketing in today's…

Sweden has recently seen three major political attempts to empower parents through national regulations--the transferal of authority from the state to district school boards, the heavy promotion of independent schools, and the introduction of local school boards at municipality schools. This article provides an overview of these developments by…

River Trails School District 26--a K-8 public school district in Mount Prospect, Illinois, with 1,580 students--developed, implemented, and celebrated a student-centered public relations event that focused on reading and technology. The literacy and technology fair drew hundreds of parents, students, staff, and community members to the district…

Superintendents of small school districts describe how they give voice, involve and listen to others, and solicit various publics to build democratic communities. Superintendents make sense of leadership through their constructed role, leadership orientation, and district size. Findings suggest the following when superintendents involve, listen,…

This article presents a case study of a school district employing a community engagement approach to strategic planning aimed at addressing the district's widening academic achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students and noneconomically disadvantaged students. The study compares the community engagement approach utilized by the…

The study examined K-12 parents' attitudes about their school district's mass notification service. Survey data were collected from 146 parents with at least one child who attended school in the district. During an emergency, most parents surveyed wanted their district to expand its mass notification service from landline phone only to also…

This article presents the case of community leaders who used the charter school policy as a way to effect district change for the benefit of a neighborhood in need. The case represents the potential of charter school policy to reshape the political and institutional arrangements of urban school districts, and it reengages the idea of what makes…

No Child Left Behind, Section 1118, Title I is devoted solely to parental involvement. Section 1118 requires school districts receiving Title I funds to develop and implement a written plan for parent involvement. Parental involvement is examined through teachers' responses concerning their engagement of parents in student achievement. Results…