Education Commons^™

Lake View School Funding Update, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In another landmark decision regarding school finance in Arkansas, the Arkansas Supreme Court has again declared that the state has retreated from its obligation to adequately fund public education, just as it decided in 2004 (Lake View School Dist. No. 25 v. Huckabee, 355 Ark. 617, 142 S.W.3d 643). Earlier this year, 49 school districts had requested the Court to recall its mandate and reappoint Special Masters to reopen the Lake View case and evaluate the state’s efforts to improve the adequacy of Arkansas’ school finance system (see Policy Brief 17). The court granted this request on June 9, 2005, …

School Reform Strategies And Normative Expectations For Democratic Leadership In The Superintendency, George J. Peterson, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The concept of democratic leadership emerged in the early decades of the twentieth century in response to the effects of social change on schools and to growing dissatisfaction with autocratic management. One of its most prominent advocates was John Dewey, an eminent philosopher who viewed scientific management’s obsession with efficiency to be detrimental to a well-balanced social interest (Razik & Swanson, 2001). Democratic school administration was not practiced widely, however, until America had suffered a great economic depression circa 1930. After many successful businesses failed, classical theory and scientific management, the philosophical pillars of the Industrial Revolution, lost much of …

Facing An Uncertain Future: An Investigation Of The Preparation And Readiness Of First-Time Superintendents To Lead In A Democratic Society, Theodore J. Kowalski, George J. Peterson, Lance D. Fusarelli

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The preparation of superintendents is a critical component, an essential element, of systemic education reform, although as (Cooper, Fusarelli, Jackson, & Poster, 2002) observed, “the process is rife with difficulties,” including synchronization of preparation and actual practice, the theory-practice disconnect, the need for life-long learning, and development of an adequate knowledge base (Cooper et al., 2002, p. 242).

The vast majority of research on the efficacy of administrator preparation programs focuses on principals. Most doctoral programs in educational administration serve as de facto preparation programs for superintendents, even though some contain little coursework specifically tailored for the position (Andrews & …

Advocate, October 2005, Vol. [17], No. [2], Gc Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Wellness Center Survives Fee Crisis: DSC Funding of Student Health Services Assured; Referendum Passes 654 to 457 (p. 1)

Corporate Rubbish: Evaluating Restaurant Associates’ Environmental Claims about Styrofoam Cups. Lea Johnson (p. 1)

From the Editor. Spencer Sunshine (p. 2)

Academic Repression (p. 2)

People Get Ready: Historic PSC Mass Meeting Packs Cooper Union. Abby Schoneboom (p. 3)

Academic Repression in the First Person: Interview with Carol Lang: Is CUNY Trying to Silence a Long-Time Critic on Trumped-Up Charges? Spencer Sunshine (p. 4)

This Could Happen to You. Andy Smith (p. 5)

Analysis: Iraqi Democracy: Is Civil …

Advocate, September 2005, Vol. [17], No. [1], Gc Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Features / Community News

18% Hike Slams CUNY Graduate Students. James Hoff (p. 1)

GC Welcomes Bill Kelly as President (p. 1)

DSC Welcomes Students Back (p. 1)

Contents (p. 1)

From the Editor. Spencer Sunshine (p. 2)

Academic Repression (p. 2)

Angry About Academic Repression? (p. 3)

Community News: New Trial for Miguel Malo Begins (p. 3)

Around Town: What Does the Fate of NYU’s Graduate Student Union Hold for CUNY? Andrea Morrell (p. 4)

Analysis: State-Sponsored Hate Speech in the War on Terror: A Plan to Push Back. Dan Skinner (p. 5)

Suggestions for a …

Role Expectations Of The District Superintendent: Implications For Deregulating Preparation And Licensing, Theodore J. Kowalski, Lars G. Björk

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

At this juncture when policymakers are being asked to choose between deregulation and reform, problems affecting the superintendency need to be framed appropriately and policy decisions need to be based on evidence and not raw politics or emotion. Deregulating a profession clearly is a serious matter that is prudent either when the need for the state to protect the public from practitioners is no longer valid or when the underlying knowledge has been found to be fraudulent or irrelevant (Kowalski, 2004). This paper identifies role expectations and position requirements that have evolved for school district superintendents over the past 100 …

Budget Fy 2005-2006, Swosu Administration

SWOSU Fiscal Year Budgets

The Southwestern Oklahoma State University Budget FY 2006. Submitted June 10, 2005.

Lake View Reopened, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Arkansans may have thought that the decades-long fight over school funding was settled in 2002, when the state Supreme Court handed down the Lake View ruling which directed the state to “adequately and equitably” fund the education system. Since the Supreme Court’s decision, state legislators have made some strides in addressing the mandates outlined by the Court, such as increasing the state funding levels for districts and approving a plan to fund improvements to school facilities across the state.

Advocate, May 2005, Vol. [16], No. [6], Gc Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Features / Community News

City College Reinstates CCNY Four, But Charges Still Pending. James Hoff (p. 1)

Frances Degen Horowitz to Step Down as GC President (p. 1)

April PSC Contract Update. Mariya Gluzman (p. 1)

Editorial: Farewell Letter from the Editor. James Trimarco (p. 2)

“Resistance Unarmed: Colombian Communities Building Alternatives to War” Photo Exhibit (March 17-April 17, 2005). Debora Upegui (p. 3)

AELLA Statement in Support of Student Strike at University of Puerto Rico (p. 3)

Analysis: The Cult of Institutions. Tony Monchinski (p. 4)

Brazilian Agrarian Reform Under Lula – MST to March. Hannah …

Arkansas School Finance 2005: Finding Funds For Facilities, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

For the past half century, Arkansas has spent less per pupil than most other states. However, spurred in part by the State Supreme Court’s 2002 ruling that the state’s school system is “inequitable and inadequate,” the state is now strengthening its commitment to fund better educational opportunities for all students. During 2003, experts have estimated that the state will require nearly $850 million in additional funding to deliver an “adequate education” to all students in the state—a 48% increase in the state’s spending for public schools. In addition, lawmakers spent most of the past year focused on ways to finance …

2005 Legislature Considers School Facilities Improvement, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The Arkansas 85th General Assembly is working to address the recommendations of the Arkansas Statewide Education Facilities Assessment. The report is the culmination of 18 months of work commissioned by the 2003 General Assembly to assess the adequacy and equity of public school buildings across the state. In the ongoing effort to address the mandates of the Lake View III decision, made by the Arkansas Supreme Court in November 2002, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Educational Facilities commissioned a task force to conduct a comprehensive survey of facilities, equipment, and technology. The 60-member task force, including legislators, school officials, and …

Mandated School Facilities Improvement: What Have Other States Done?, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In most school districts, funding for the construction and improvement of school facilities comes from local property taxes, sometimes solely, and sometimes with additional state support. In nearly all states, older school buildings, especially those in low-income districts are in need of renovation or repair. When school buildings are in poor repair or otherwise inadequate with respect to the educational environment which they provide, the quality of education available to students attending those schools can be adversely affected. As a result of lawsuits addressing this concern, a number of states have faced judicial mandates stemming from constitutional challenges requiring school …

School Choice: Structured Through Markets And Morality, Thomas J. Lasley, Carolyn Ridenour

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

School choice is increasingly promulgated as a promising education reform policy for failing urban schools, but no solid evidence has yet shown the promise fulfilled. The authors argue that choice based on market theory without a moral center is insufficient. Without a moral foundation, such market-driven choice programs may actually disadvantage some children further. A market approach, absent a moral perspective, fails to encompass all the necessary dimensions for an educational system that can fulfill the traditional commitment to the common good and effectively serve all urban children, their families, and society. Six moral principles are offered along with examples …

Advocate, March 2005, Vol. [16], No. [5], Gc Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Community News

The Case for Restructuring Information Resources. Annalies Kamran (p. 1)

When a Tsunami Raises Coffee Prices: What Do Students Think About the Dining Options at the Graduate Center? Antonia Levy and Dan Skinner (p. 1)

A New $12 Fee for Wellness Center is a Good Deal for CUNY (p. 2)

Interactive Technology & Pedagogy Certificate Draft. Masha Rumer (p. 3)

A Day in the Life of a GC Adjunct. Anonymous (p. 5)

Features

Fear and Loathing in Amsterdam. Anonymous (p. 8)

Prose Poem: Flying South. Tony Monchinski (p. 10)

National Public Radio’s Terry Gross: On …

Advocate, February 2005, Vol. [16], No. [4], Gc Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

BMCC Puts “Homeland Security” Program on Hold. James Hoff (p. 1)

State Assembly Member Ron Canestrari Visits GC. Paul McBreen (p. 1)

Chance to Improve GC Email System After Outage. James Trimarco (p. 1)

Editorial: Defend Ward Churchill and Academic Freedom (p. 2)

Drugs and Power in Afghanistan. Gerasimos Karavitis (p. 4)

Inaugural Protest Small on Numbers But Big on Enthusiasm. Matt Lau. (p. 5)

The Case for Socialism in the Twenty-First Century. Jason Schulman. (p. 6)

Reflections on the Revolution in... Israel? William Adler (p. 7)

For Foreign Students: Immigrant Driver’s Permits: A Perilous Two-Tier System. …

Prospects And Challenges: Teaching An Introductory Course On International Education In U.S. Classroom, Manaslu Gurung

Master's Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research is to explore the experiences of teaching an introductory course on International Education in a US classroom. The study focuses on some of the leading challenges of discussing links between international education and international development from a variety of global perspectives, particularly the Third World perspective. The underlying goal of this reflective research is to address the importance of International Education is today’s world where education continues to be political and where what we see, understand, and value in the First World impacts the Third World more directly and severely than ever before. Free Market …

Education Facilities Report, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The Arkansas Statewide Education Facilities Assessment is the culmination of 18 months of work commissioned by the Arkansas General Assembly to assess the adequacy and equity of public school buildings across the state. In the ongoing effort to address the mandates of the Lake View III decision, made by the Arkansas Supreme Court in November 2002, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Educational Facilities commissioned a task force to conduct a comprehensive survey of facilities, equipment, and technology. The 60-member task force, including legislators, school officials, and state department officials, together with architects, engineers, business leaders, and interested citizens, contracted with …

Evolution Of The School District Superintendent Position, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Clearly, no issue is currently more crucial to the future of the position of school district superintendent than the battle being fought over professional preparation and state licensing. The intent of licensing professionals is to protect society and not the licensee. Consequently, a decision to deregulate a profession should not be made solely in political arenas in which self- and group interests are more likely to outweigh societal interests. This chapter is grounded in the belief that persons within a profession, regardless of their personal views, have a responsibility to ensure that policy debates of this magnitude will be objective …

Developing Policy For Part-Time School Administration Faculty, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This inquiry is an analysis of the trend toward infusing practitioners into the preparation of school administrators. Motives for increasing the number of part-time employees in higher education are identified and specific problems associated with the deployment of these instructors are discussed. The argument is made that the merits of this trend depend on the extent to which department policy addresses adjunct faculty employment, deployment and development in relation to a reform vision and strategy. Essential policy considerations related to involving practitioners are recommended.