Leadership Series

Leading for Learning

This series—launched with a special report on instructional leadership in the Sept. 15, 2004, issue of Education Week—examines the new approaches to leadership in education at a time of increasing academic expectations on schools.

School & District Management Opinion For Better Schools and for Civic Life, Boards Must Assert Power
Peter Meyer writes, "School boards' apparent irrelevance should not be taken as evidence of the need to hurry them out the door."
Peter Meyer, October 12, 2009
5 min read
School & District Management Opinion Keeping an Eye on the Big Picture—From a Small Town
"As a school board member, I realize our students need to be equipped for a future beyond high school, but thinking long-term isn't easy," writes Lonnie Harp.
Lonnie Harp, October 12, 2009
5 min read
School & District Management Opinion Meetings Are Just Tip of Iceberg
"The public doesn't see much of the real work of school boards, which wield far less power than voters might expect," writes Gene I. Maeroff.
Gene I. Maeroff, October 12, 2009
5 min read
School & District Management Mayors Can Be 'Prime Movers' of Urban School Improvement
Under this arrangement, districts are no longer insulated from the city’s social, civic, and economic sectors.
Kenneth W. Wong & Francis X. Shen, October 12, 2009
10 min read
School & District Management Education Secretary Leads Chorus Calling for Big City-Hall Role
Interest in bringing urban school districts under the municipal umbrella continues to grow.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 12, 2009
10 min read
School & District Management At State Level, Power Over Schools a Contentious Issue
Governors have moved steadily to increase their influence over K-12 education, sometimes antagonizing their states' education establishments in the process.
October 12, 2009
8 min read
School & District Management Governance Project Teaches Value of Policy Framework
The Reform Governance in Action training insists that school boards have a "theory of action" and stick to it.
Dakarai I. Aarons, October 12, 2009
8 min read
Carey Harris, center, the executive director of the nonprofit group A+ Schools, observes the Pittsburgh school board’s Sept. 29 meeting. The organization’s Board Watch program keeps tabs on school governance.
Carey Harris, center, the executive director of the nonprofit group A+ Schools, observes the Pittsburgh school board’s Sept. 29 meeting. The organization’s Board Watch program keeps tabs on school governance.
Christopher Powers/Education Week
School & District Management In Pittsburgh, Monitors Hold School Board Accountable
'Board Watch' volunteers attend meetings and grade the panel on good-governance measures.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 12, 2009
8 min read
School & District Management An Overlooked Institution Struggles to Remain Relevant
Whether school boards are up to the task of governing local districts in an era of increasing state and federal control is up for debate.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 12, 2009
9 min read
School & District Management Calif. Group Puts Muscle Into Charters
While most states where charter schools operate have some sort of umbrella charter group, the California Charter Schools Association stands out for the range and sophistication of support it offers.
Lesli A. Maxwell, September 8, 2008
7 min read
School Choice & Charters Opening a School Draws on All of Founders' Skills
Two principals act as administrators, organizers, marketers, and advocates in their mission to open a charter school for boys in New Orleans.
Lesli A. Maxwell, September 8, 2008
11 min read
School & District Management The High-Wire Job of Charter School Leadership
Being a charter school leader brings other challenges not often faced by principals of traditional public schools, who receive support from their districts’ central offices.
Christine Campbell, Betheny Gross & Robin J. Lake, September 8, 2008
8 min read
School & District Management Management Networks Strive to Grow Like-Minded Schools
A new approach to the leadership and management of public schools has taken hold over the past decade, with the emergence of nonprofit groups that start and operate networks of charter schools.
September 8, 2008
12 min read
School & District Management Many Charter Boards Seen as Unprepared
Charter school boards serve in relative obscurity, even as they face distinctive challenges.
Catherine Gewertz, September 8, 2008
11 min read