Restructuring Schools in Chester Upland, Pennsylvania: An Analysis of State Restructuring Efforts - According to this report, by all accounts, school restructuring in Chester Upland School District is an example of how not to restructure. When a state intervenes to restructure schools, it must also dictate the particulars and thereafter monitor implementation. In Pennsylvania, the state pressed for privatization but did not follow through to ensure the privatization model negotiated was tenable. Nevertheless, almost in spite of everything that has occurred in the district, nearly all the schools have demonstrated some academic gains. While these gains have been limited, they are nonetheless encouraging. Available online are the case study and policy brief. (Lauren Morando Rhim, Education Commission of the States, January 2005) ...

Restructuring Schools in Baltimore: An Analysis of State and District Efforts - According to this report, the state and district restructuring initiatives in Baltimore have produced mixed results in terms of gains in student academic performance. Nevertheless, these initiatives provide practical lessons regarding the process of restructuring. For example, reinforcing decades of research on effective schools, the key policy leaders involved with restructuring in Baltimore identified principals and teachers as the essential forces driving successful schools. This study also found that the supporting conditions that are critical to enabling strong principals and teachers to succeed include school autonomy over budgets, personnel, and curriculum and instruction. Available online are the case study and policy brief. (Lauren Morando Rhim, Education Commission of the States, July 2004)...

When Mayors Lead Urban Schools: Toward Developing a Framework To Assess the Effects of Mayoral Takeover of Urban Districts PDF - According to this report, mayoral takeover is associated with greater levels of per-pupil expenditures in core education functions such as instruction and student support. While there is some mixed evidence on recent student achievement, there is no evidence to suggest mayoral takeover will leave the worst schools behind in the wake of reform. In fact, the authors find that gains in achievement are especially significant for the lowest-performing schools in takeover districts. (Kenneth K. Wong and Francis X. Shen, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 2003)...

Balancing Accountability and Local Control: State Intervention For Financial and Academic Stability - This study examines numerous state-intervention efforts around the nation. It finds that while some intervention efforts demonstrated academic progress, many showed no progress, and others were associated with additional declines in academic performance. While results vary, the author does identify several common characteristics among those reforms that have seen some success, such as expanded flexibility and increased accountability. (Richard C. Seder, Reason Public Policy Institute, March 2000) ...