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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: school & district management, district leadership, and school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.
Equity & Diversity
Four Equity Themes All School Leaders Should Address
The COVID-19 Education Coalition has created specific set of questions focused on four dimensions of equity: access, capacity, opportunities and outcomes.
School & District Management
The Pandemic May Drive Principals to Quit
Divisive politics and discordant guidance on school operations may accelerate departures. The profession already suffers from high burnout rates.
Equity & Diversity
Black Teen Suspended for His Dreadlocks Can Return to School, Judge Rules
Kaden Bradford was facing punishment because his locs are long enough to touch his shirt collar, a violation of his high school's dress code. His attorneys called the policy discriminatory.
Education
The Police in Schools Debate Needs More Nuance, Ed Groups Say
Properly trained school resource officers can be a positive presence in schools, a group of prominent K-12 organizations argues.
School Climate & Safety
Why the Worst Job in Education Right Now Is the Superintendent's
School system leaders described the return to school as "an infinite series of tradeoffs that we have to make."
School & District Management
Principals: The Voice Too Seldom Heard in the Reopening Schools Debate
Even though principals are responsible for carrying out school reopening plans, many of them complex, expensive, and unpopular, just 35 percent said they were consulted "a lot" on their districts' plans for the fall.
Education
Confederate-Named High School Renamed to Honor Civil Rights Icon John Lewis
Even after the change, Fairfax County, Va., still has three schools named for Confederate figures, an Education Week analysis shows.
School & District Management
First-Year Principals, Some Advice for Doing This Job in a Pandemic
Six key pieces of advice that are essential for any first-year principal, but are critical for those who are starting the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
School Climate & Safety
During Pandemic, Managing School Buses Will Be a Year-Round Concern
A new report underscores that, for transportation directors, the first day of school will definitely not mark the last day of planning.
School Climate & Safety
Principals Favor Hybrid Schedules for Reopening Schools
Half of elementary school principals and assistant principals say they prefer starting the 2020-21 school year with a blend of remote learning and in-person instruction, according to a new poll from the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
School & District Management
Principals Launch National Network for LGBTQ+ School Leaders
A current and former principal are spearheading a national effort to provide professional support to LGBTQ+ school administrators.
School Climate & Safety
Reopening Schools: Here Are Some Districts' Plans for the Fall
Because of rising cases of coronavirus, some big school systems, like Los Angeles Unified, will start the school year with all students learning from home.
Education
Here's What Districts' PPE Shopping Lists Look Like This Fall. It's Not Cheap
School administrators are trying to figure out how they'll afford all the Personal Protective Equipment they'll need for students and staff heading back to school amid the coronavirus pandemic.
School Climate & Safety
Are Schools' Discipline Policies Linked to Shootings? We Just Don't Know
No studies sufficiently answer the question, finds the GAO, which means debates over whether newer restorative-justice approaches help or harm safety are likely to continue.