With their increased autonomy and flexibility, charter schools can be a promising educational option for students with disabilities. However, during the inception of the charter movement, very few people were focused on ensuring that charter school policies addressed the needs of students with disabilities. Since its creation in 2013, the Center…

As voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs have expanded in recent years, another promising development has been the incorporation, into more such programs, of provisions that hold participating private schools to account for their students' performance. The newest and largest voucher programs, such as those in Louisiana and Indiana, have gone…

The charter school concept was first introduced in 1991 when the Minnesota Legislature passed the nation's first charter school law. As of this writing in 2009, 40 states and the District of Columbia have charter school legislation. While the specific characteristics and nuances of these laws vary from state to state, almost every state law…

This document is a chapter in "The Principles and Practice of Educational Management," which aims to provide a systematic and analytical introduction to the study of educational management. The structure of the book reflects the main substantive areas of educational leadership and management, and most of the major themes are covered in the…

Reports such as those by the "Holmes Group" and the Carnegie panel are evidence that the educational reform movement has reached within the education profession. Outlines 10 recommendations for reform. These include giving more autonomy to schools that perform satisfactorily and having a larger percentage of the funds for education go…

In "Illuminate the Way: The School Leader's Guide to Addressing and Preventing Teacher Burnout," veteran teacher and instructional coach Chase Mielke outlines the three dimensions of burnout--exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy--and provides the methods to help foster agency, relatedness, and competence in your staff. School leaders…

This paper helps community partners envision a system of community schools and understand the changes needed to make it a reality. Information in the paper is adapted from a study by the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago and the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. The study…

The essentials needed for developing teaching novices into good teachers are autonomy, collaboration, and time. School improvement plans should include an understanding of the conditions that foster the professional growth of teachers. Provides a table and extensive list of references. (MD)

Addressing the underlying tension that generally exists between school-level autonomy and systemwide uniformity, the author's nine commandments include recognizing the school as the key organizational unit in public education, selecting and nurturing first-rate principals, and granting more budgetary authority to the school level. (JBM)

This document is a chapter in "The Principles and Practice of Educational Management," which aims to provide a systematic and analytical introduction to the study of educational management. The structure of the book reflects the main substantive areas of educational leadership and management, and most of the major themes are covered in the…

The 3 Rs approach to moral education translates Durkheim's elements of morality (discipline, group attachment, autonomy) into a framework for schools. School rules, reason, and role models should be implemented in an atmosphere of participatory democracy, respect, reflective thinking, cooperative learning, and parental support. (SK)

Details a strategy for district improvement that establishes discernible parameters and then provides each school with the autonomy to chart its own course and lists four steps toward team engagement. Also former Principal Rebecca Burnette DuFour discusses how the central office can best promote learning communities. (MLF)

Information to assist local school communities in developing successful educational accountability programs is presented in this report. Based on local school district autonomy, educational accountability in Colorado is viewed as a school improvement process, with a focus on student achievement, graduation, and attendance. Information is presented…

This document presents an overview of management strategies to help administrators make the most of available private-sector resources. The key is to view the private sector as a resource that can provide an infusion of expertise, accountability, and cost effectiveness into public education. Following the introduction, the second section examines…

Because Public Law 95-561 has brought more autonomy and more responsibility to local school administrators, administrators must be effective in their leadership roles. The article discusses leadership styles, successful leaders' characteristics, subordinate types, and situational factors having a bearing on effective leadership. See also related…