Full Description
The Redesign of Urban School Systems provides a uniquely valuable resource for anyone involved in preparing education leaders for the political and practical realities of district-based school reform.
Edited by two leading experts in education reform, this absorbing volume brings together twelve teaching cases on urban school governance developed specifically for training school boards and district leaders. The cases illustrate major shifts in district-wide reform, from traditional, hierarchical, compliance-driven bureaucracies to high-performing, student-centred systems. Richly detailed, fast-paced, and incisive, they describe real-life situations in which district leaders and school boards grapple with district wide reform efforts.
Contents
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
The Case Studies and How to Read Them 1
Chapter 2
The Man with the Plan in Philadelphia 15
School District of Philadelphia (A)
Chapter 3
The Board Leads the Way 33
Creating and Implementing a Reform Strategy in Houston
Houston Independent School District (A)
Chapter 4
Peeling the Onion 55
Getting to the Heart of Student Achievement in Aldine
Aldine Independent School District
Chapter 5
Four for the Future 71
A Reform Board Hires a Corporate Turnaround Firm to Manage St. Louis Schools
St. Louis Public Schools
Chapter 6
"It Could Get Ugly . . . " 97
Oakland's School Board Fights to Maintain Reform Momentum While Faced with a Massive Fiscal Crisis
Oakland Unified School District
Chapter 7
The Perfect Storm 123
School Reform in Buffalo
Buffalo Public Schools (A)
Chapter 8
Jolting the System 141
From Shared-Decision Making to Managed Instruction in San Diego
San Diego Unified School District
Chapter 9
Peril or Promise? 173
Charter Schools in Buffalo
Buffalo Public Schools (B)
Chapter 10
The Grand Experiment 201
Philadelphia Tries a New Way to Reform Its Schools
School District of Philadelphia (B)
Chapter 11
It Takes a City 235
Building a High-Performance School District in Houston
Houston Independent School District (B)
Chapter 12
School Reform, the Long Beach Way 261
Long Beach Unified School District
Chapter 13
Raising the Bar 285
High Standards and High Stakes in Gwinnett County Public Schools
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Chapter 14
Patterns and Lessons 315
Acknowledgments 335
About the Editors 337
Index 339
