By analyzing the ups and downs of mayoral control of schools in nine cities (including New York, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and Boston), this study aims to provide New Jersey policymakers with recommendations as they transition from state control back to local governance in Newark, Paterson, and Jersey City. It’s somewhat sobering, though, as the analysts find no solid link between mayoral control and student achievement. But that’s not the whole story. On the downside, mayoral control is associated in many (though not all) places with diminished parental and community involvement in education. On the other hand, it corresponds to increased school funding, greater public commitment to education, and enhanced stability in the district, as well as stronger accountability and efficiency. More pluses, it would appear to us, than minuses. Ultimately, however, analysts find none of the analyzed models to be ideal, but several offer elements worth considering.
Ruth Moscovitch, Alan R. Sadovnik, Jason M. Barr, Tara Davidson, Teresa L. Moore, Roslyn Powell, Paul L.Tractenberg, Eric Wagman, and Peijia Zha, “Governance and Urban School Improvement: Lessons for New Jersey from Nine Cities,” (Newark, NJ: Institute on Education Law and Policy: Rutgers, August 2010).
