National Association of State Boards of Education
October 2002
The enactment of No Child Left Behind has heightened everybody's interest in what to do about failing schools, of which the Department of Education said in July there were 8652. But this report by a study group of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is less helpful than one hoped for. It turns out be very much "inside the box," doing a decent job of describing important elements of high-performing schools (and the ingredients of a "state policy environment" that's apt to foster more such), but charting no bold course for transforming those schools that do a lousy job. Sure, there is guidance by inference: if a state or district were to "reconstitute" a faltering school, the new education institution that rises from the ashes of the old one might benefit from this 64-page report. But similar guidance has been available for two decades under the heading of "effective schools" research. The issue remains not describing what seems to make some schools effective; it is how - in this lifetime - to do something about the thousands that aren't. You can get a copy for $14.00 plus $4.50 shipping by calling 703-684-4000. (The report is not available online.)
