Governance and Policy

Examining the governance structure and policies in a district is an important part of systemic change. These areas set the tone for relationships between education professionals within the system as well as for the district’s relationship with the community and society in general. This section provides a list of resources that offer various approaches to thinking about and structuring district governance and policy.

School boards associations provide many services, publications and other resources for improving governance and policy.

January 1994 Phi Delta Kappan

  • This issue is devoted to a discussion of local education governance. The introduction states that, "…definitions of the severity of local governance problems and recommendations for solutions range along a spectrum from merely providing training for school boards and fundamentally preserving the state quo to creating totally new local governance structures that would divorce the functions of overall local education policy making from the operation of schools."
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    Available from: Phi Delta Kappa Inc. 408 North Union, P.O. Box 789, Bloomington, IN 47402

    Connecting Students to a Changing World: A Technology Strategy for Improving Mathematics and Science Education. A Statements by the Research and Policy Committee of the Committee for Economic Development (1995)

    Available from: Committee for Economic Development, 477 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022 (212) 688-2063 or 2000 L Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20296-5860

    1994 policy statement "Putting Learning First: Governing and Managing the Schools for High Achievement" (CED)

    "Putting Learning First emphasized that the real work of learning takes place in the interaction between teacher and students in the classroom. The statement provides a blueprint for revamping education governance and management to give school personnel the authority, accountability, and incentives to improve student learning. This bottom-up approach calls on central administrations, school boards, and state and federal education agencies to change their relationship with the schools from that of demanding compliance with mandates and procedures to that of providing guidance, resources, and support. In this new relationship, the responsibility of school officials should include setting standards, establishing accountability mechanisms, providing sufficient funding, collecting data, improving teacher training, and easing collaboration between school and health and social service agencies."

    Available from: Committee for Economic Development, 477 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022 (212) 688-2063 or 2000 L Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 296-5860

     

    In this section:

    Change and Education Change Inventories Education Systemic Change Tools

    In the Toolkit:

    Toolkit Home Page Why Change? Why Technology?
    Planning Policy Curriculum and Assessment
    Community Involvement Facility Planning Funding
    Prof'l and Ldrship Development