District Dossier
The District Dossier blog explored issues behind leading and managing the nation’s schools and school districts and provided analysis of trends, controversies, and good ideas in school and district leadership. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: school & district management, district leadership, and school leadership.
School Climate & Safety
To Fix Schools' High Lead Levels, Portland, Ore., District Seeks Tax Increase
All 90 district schools have high lead levels in the water that flows from sinks and drinking fountains. Dozens of buildings are laced with peeling lead paint, radon and asbestos.
School & District Management
Two Big-City Districts Hire Women Superintendents
The school districts in Cincinnati and Oakland, Calif. selected women as their new superintendents, both of them experienced educators with long tenures in their respective districts.
School & District Management
School Boards Give Superintendents Hefty Severance Packages to Quit Early
Eye-popping parachute packages for high-level executives are still relatively uncommon in the world of K-12, but some recent cases show that school boards are willing to pay hefty sums to get rid of superintendents with whom they don't see eye-to-eye.
School & District Management
Greenville Schools Chief Is South Carolina's Superintendent of the Year
W. Burke Royster, who has led the Greenville, S.C., school district since 2012, was also one of 14 Leaders to Learn From selected by Education Week in 2017.
School & District Management
Texas High School Senior Defeats Incumbent to Win School Board Seat
Mike Floyd will take office three days before he graduates. Floyd said he ran, in part, because of remarks the district superintendent made about restroom policies for transgender students
School & District Management
Maryland Superintendent Who Sued Her School Board Resigns
Renee Foose, who had been locked in a power struggle with the school board of the high-performing Howard County district in Maryland, resigned Tuesday. She will be replaced by Michael Martirano, a former West Virginia state superintendent.
Equity & Diversity
Black and Latino Parents: Funding, Racism Are Drivers of School Disparities
A new national poll shows that a majority of African-American and Latino parents believe public schools in their communities are underfunded compared to those in white communities.
Law & Courts
Detroit Signs Deal to Prevent State Shutdown of Poor-Performing Schools
The schools ranked in the bottom 5 percent academically statewide for at least the last three years. Under the agreement, the schools will remain open at least another three years.
Federal
Schools Cancel International Field Trips Over Concerns for Immigrant Students
So far, the policy change led the district to cancel a band trip to Canada and an education exchange to Osaka, Japan.
Budget & Finance
Illinois Judge Dismisses Chicago Funding-Discrimination Lawsuit Against the State
The Chicago school district sued Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state board of education alleging that state school funding discriminated against Chicago's largely poor, Hispanic, and black students.
School & District Management
Barbara Byrd-Bennett, Former Chicago Schools CEO, Sentenced to Prison
A judge sentenced Byrd-Bennett to more than four years for her role in a more than $20 million kickback scheme while she was superintendent of the Chicago schools.
School & District Management
St. Paul, Minn., School District Selects New Superintendent
Joe Gothard, the superintendent of the nearby Burnsville-Egan-Savage school district, has been tapped to run the St. Paul school system.
School & District Management
Principal Apologizes for Saying White Students Should Be in the Same Class
The principal from Florida's Pinellas County district has apologized for suggesting a small number of white students in a predominately black school be placed in class together.
School & District Management
New Detroit District Looks to Hire First Permanent Superintendent
Nikolai Vitti has led the Duval County school district in Jacksonville, Fla., since 2012. While Detroit is a smaller district, the new job would bring Vitti closer to his roots.