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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: school & district management, district leadership, and school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 & District Management
Wallace Foundation Donates $30 Million to Help Improve Principal Supervisors
Fourteen urban school districts will receive funds under the Principal Supervisor Initiative. Money will also go toward developing model standards for principal supervisors and supporting organizations that help districts empower this group.
School & District Management
Principals Have More Authority Than They Think, New Study Says
Researchers at the Center on Reinventing Public Education argue that while there are real policy barriers that hamper school improvement, principals imagine more roadblocks than there are.
School & District Management
Principal Groups Seek More Answers for Canceled Advanced-Certification Program
The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards is looking for ways to recognize the school leaders who completed its rigorous pilot- and field-tests of advanced certification for principals.
Education
Council OKs Borrowing Nearly $57 Million to Help Philadelphia's Schools
The money helps the district to narrow a budget gap and avoid immediate layoffs, but the school system still needs more money.
School & District Management
Report Calls for Moratorium on Chicago School Closures
Researchers from the University of Illinois found that parents felt excluded from the process, are distrustful of the school system, and want a voice in closure decisions.
School & District Management
Missouri Takes Over Local School System, Acts to Stem Transfer Costs
Among its first acts in charge of the new Normandy Schools Collaborative, the state board of education cut the amount Normandy will pay for transfer students, and restricted the number of students who will be able to transfer in the future
Student Well-Being & Movement
N.Y.C. Mayor Announces $52 Million Effort to Launch Community Schools
Bringing health and social services directly to schools that serve struggling students is the focus of the new effort from Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration.
Budget & Finance
Philadelphia School Officials Continue to Seek Funds as Budget Deadline Looms
Chairman of the School Reform Commission William Green says he says a "prayer" every morning because he does not see how the funding crisis—now an annual rite of spring—could be fixed without the intervention of a higher power.
School & District Management
Despite Questions, Kansas Education Board Approves Two 'Innovative Districts'
The Innovative Districts Act allows public schools that receive such designations to dispense with most state laws and regulations governing K-12 schools.
Assessment
Mississippi Ed. Officials Investigating Cheating Allegations in Clarksdale District
A local newspaper first brought to light allegations about cheating in one elementary school in the nationally recognized district.
Equity & Diversity
Study Shows Fewer Suspensions in Calif. Schools, But Racial Disparities Persist
UCLA review shows that minorities are still more likely than whites to be suspended for acts of disruption and willful defiance—a vague category that can include anything from talking back to teacher to not doing one's homework—.
Education
State Takeover Law Struck Down in Virginia
The law, which was to go into effect in the 2014-2015 school year, was ruled unconstitutional by a circuit court judge.
School & District Management
Study Makes Case for Mayoral and District Collaboration Instead of Takeovers
A study by the National School Boards Association's Center for Public Education outlines the pros and cons of mayoral involvement in school boards.
School & District Management
Updated Standards for Educational Leaders To Be Completed in October
The model standards for educational leaders, while voluntary, are used nationally to define roles and responsibilities, to guide preparation programs, and to help develop evaluations. They are being "refreshed" after a period of changes in the central office that have resulted from state and federal education policies.