Intro: The Balance of Power

In part two of our special series, From Risk to Renewal: Charting a Course for Reform,'' Education Week will examine seven key areas where change must occur if reform is to succeed. In this article, we explore the balance of power within schools and districts and the efforts to shift authority so that those at the school site are empowered and encouraged to use their resources in behalf of greater learning for students.

Denver

At 6:30 on a cold winter evening, nine people sit down at pushed-together tables in a carpeted community room at Thomas Jefferson High School. For the next two hours, this diverse group--the school principal, three teachers, a counselor, two parents, a businessperson, and a student--will hash out a plan for their school's budget.

A short time ago, such input would have been the principal's alone to give. Now, in schools throughout this city, Denver residents gather routinely to...