School Administrator: January 2018

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What a 4-Year-Old Can Teach Us About Innovation
BY PETER M. GAMWELL
Drawing from his book The Wonder Wall, a former superintendent illustrates how learning driven by passion can lead students to extraordinary ends and provide creative options for school systems.

• Project-based learning with twists

What (If Anything) Makes Charters Different?
BY ZACHARY W. OBERFIELD
The promise of charter schools is only partly addressed in comparison with traditional public schools. The author’s study looked for differences in the teaching environments of charter and public schools.

Getting Smart About the Risks of District-Charter Collaboration
BY SARAH YATSKO
Six factors for assessing whether a school district is ready to commit to a serious partnership.

The Challenge of Reporting on Charter Performance and Finances
BY TIMOTHY PRATT
Education journalists describe the roadblocks that prevent a fair and full accounting of the practices of publicly funded school alternatives.

School Choice, Segregation and Democracy
BY WILLIAM J. MATHIS AND KEVIN G. WELNER
How public policies pushing student stratification fragment our society and harm the common good.

• David Arsen: Cautionary lessons from Michigan’s charter experiment

STARTING POINT
An even-handed perspective of charters.

STATE OF THE SUPERINTENDENCY
Salary Ratios
Applying a popular metric in the private sector to examine median entry-level salaries of teachers and superintendents.

BEST OF THE BLOGS
Excerpts from four thoughtful blog postings by AASA members.

ETHICAL EDUCATOR
The Desperate Outburst
Angered over the election of Donald Trump, a teacher lambasts his students who supported the victor for aligning with a “racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic” individual. The district must respond.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Managing a Small District's Online Presence
BY LAURIE BARRON
Practical strategies that click for a superintendent of a 765-student district.

LEGAL BRIEF
Caution! Hiring Board Members' Relatives
BY SARA G. BOUCEK
Perhaps the most dreaded issue faced by a CEO committed to fair and nonbiased employment practices.

BOARD-SAVVY SUPERINTENDENT
Avoiding Deadly Silence at Your Retreat
BY DARCI J. D'ERCOLE
An off-site school board gathering, handled well, can yield trust and healthy relationships.

MY VIEW
The Gratitude Effect
BY LISA MARIE GONZALES
A personal shift in one’s leadership practices can contribute to a nurturing and caring culture.

MY VIEW
Undercutting Our Democracy Through Vouchers
BY RICHARD D. KAHLENBERG
With our society under considerable stress, privatization schemes are particularly dangerous.

FOCUS: HUMAN RESOURCES
'Flip' Your Interview When Hiring
BY ROBERT J. HARRIS
An alternative for the typical panel of district representatives that sizes up candidates.

Reading & Resources

• Book Reviews
• Why I Wrote This Book...
• Abstract
• Bits & Pieces

 

  

PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Student Choice, Not School Choice
BY GAIL PLETNICK
Public schools don’t decide who enrolls.

EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE
A Close Look at Scotland's School Funding
BY DANIEL A. DOMENECH
Shared insights from an educational excursion abroad.

INSIDE AASA
Tammy Barbara on Executive Operations
Streamlining AASA’s internal processes and procedures.

PEOPLE WATCH
Our monthly record of member superintendents on the move.

PROFILE: Cynthia R. Lane
BY PAUL RIEDE
A superintendent in Kansas who leads “from the back of the room.”