Two years ago, a commission convened by the Education Commission of the States recommended a new model for school and district governance: instead of running all their schools directly from headquarters, districts would merely monitor the effectiveness of the (public) schools in their jurisdiction. Principals would run schools of different sorts and parents would make choices among these schools for their children. A short article by Ron Brandt in last month's Phi Delta Kappan embraces this charter-like approach to governance, pointing to the school system of Edmonton, Alberta as a place where the idea has been implemented with success. Edmonton began experimenting with site-based budgeting in the 1970s. Today, individual principals in Edmonton decide how to use their funds most effectively, including what types of staff members to hire and what services to purchase from the central office. Site-based management was embraced as a reform strategy in America in the 1980s but, according to Brandt, it was doomed by states and districts which confused site-based management with participatory management and required schools to use externally imposed decision-making structures. Brandt invites the reader to imagine a new kind of diversified school district in which curricular conformity is replaced by variety; schools are staffed by teachers and principals whose values and skills are in tune with the programs they offer, and they are held accountable by the district for accomplishing their goals; and parents moving to a new town will inquire about the nearest Success for All or Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school. Our thinking has tended this way for a long time; we're pleasantly surprised to find it in the Kappan, too. For more see "No Best Way: The Case for Differentiated Schooling," by Ron Brandt, Phi Delta Kappan, October 2001. (not available online)
