chapter 7 governing and administering public education

Chapter 7Governing

and Administering Public Education

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Educational Roles at Different Levels of Government

Federal State Local

• Sets broad goals & priorities

• Funding and support to states & local districts

• Legal decisions

• Establishes local districts

• Raises & distributes tax money to local districts

• Sets curriculum guides & teacher standards

• Implements local, state and national policies

• Major responsibility for day-to-day operations of schools, including staffing, funding, and instructional concerns


A Typical School Board Member

• Male (60%)• White (86%)• Over 40 (82%)• College-educated (67%)• High-income (64% over $50,000/year)• Parent of a child in district (57%)• Conservative (55%)


Responsibilities ofLocal School Boards

• Policy• Staffing• Employee Relations• Fiscal Matters• Student Concerns• Curriculum and Assessment• Community Relations• Intergovernmental Requirements


Superintendents’ Roles

• Management of personnel• Curricular and instructional leadership• Administrative management• Overseeing district’s day-to-day operations


Principals’ Roles

• Managing day-to-day school operations• Instructional leadership• Differences by level of school

– Secondary: seen as general managers– Elementary: seen as leaders in curriculum and

instruction


Types of Community Involvement in Schools

Community Participation

• Advisory committees (Site-based Decision Making) to neighborhood school or local school board

Community Education

• Schools partner with community agencies to offer social & educational programs to a wide variety of people.

Community Control

• Elected council shares power with school board

• Charter schools


State Level Players and TheirRoles in Education Decisions

Governor• Education budget recommendations• Appoint state education officials

State Legislature• Nature and level of state taxes for schools• Taxing powers of local districts• What may be taught, length of compulsory school

attendance


State Level Players and TheirRoles in Education Decisions (cont’d.)

State Board of Education• Vary widely by state

State Department of Education• Collects and disseminates school statistics• Monitors districts’ implementation of state educational

policies

Chief State School Officer• Heads the State Department of Education• Chief Executive of State Board of Education


National Perspectives

US Department of Education (ED)• Began in 1867 as Office of Education • Cabinet-level status in 1979• Secretary of Education

– Manages ED– Advocates for specific agendas

National School Organizations• National School Boards Association• Council of Chief State School Officers• Education Commission of the States


No Child Left Behind

• 2002 Reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)

• Goals– Improve low-performing schools– Hold states and districts accountable through annual

testing in reading & math

• More federal influence than ever before• Concern about un-funded mandates


Private School Statistics

• Eleven percent of U.S. students attend private schools. Of those:– 49% attend Catholic schools.– 16% attend nonreligious, independent schools.

chapter 7 governing and administering public education

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