The Redesign of Urban School Systems: Case Studies in District Governance

Synopsis

The Twelve Case Studies In This Book Were Written To Be Taught At School Board Training Institutes Conducted By The Center For Reform Of School Systesm (crss). They Were Selected From The Crss Portfolio Of Over Fifty Cases Because Their Center Of Gravity Is District Reform Strategy. They Describe Reform Initiatives In Nine Major Urban School Districts Across The United States. Of The Nine Shcool Boards, Seven Were Elected, One Was Appointed, And One Was A Hybrid Board With Both Elected And Appointed Members. Collectively, These Cases Span The Last Two Decades. They Should Be Of Interest To All Who Seek To Understand The Challenges Of Urban Education Reform, But They Will Be Particularly Compelling For Urban School Leaders Charged With The Repsonsibility Of Transforming Their School Districts. 1. The Case Studies And How To Read Them -- 2. The Man With The Plan In Philadelphia / School District Of Philadelphia (a) -- 3. The Board Leads The Way: Creating And Implementing A Reform Strategy In Houston / Houston Independent School District (a) -- 4. Peeling The Onion: Getting To The Heart Of Student Achievement In Aldine / Aldine Independent School District -- 5. Four For The Future: A Reform Board Hires A Corporate Turnaround Firm To Manage St. Louis Schools / St. Louis Public Schools -- 6. It Could Get Ugly...: Oakland's School Board Fights To Maintain Reform Momentum While Faced With A Massive Fiscal Crisis / Oakland Unified School District -- 7. The Perfect Storm: School Reform In Buffalo / Buffalo Public Schools (a) -- 8. Jolting The System: From Shared-decision Making To Managed Instruction In San Diego / San Diego Unified School District -- 9. Peril Or Promise?:charter Schools In Buffalo / Buffalo Public Schools (b) -- 10. The Grand Experiment: Philadelphia Tries A New Way To Reform Its Schools / School District Of Philadelphia (b) -- 11. It Takes A City: Building A High-performance School District In Houston / Houston Independent School District (b) -- 12. School Reform, The Long Beach Way / Long Beach Unified School District -- 13. Raising The Bar: High Standards And High Stakes In Gwinnett County Public Schools / Gwinnett County Public Schools -- 14. Patterns And Lessons. Edited By Donald R. Mcadams And Dan Katzir. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.