Overview – WIll the Charter Movement Rest on Its Laurels or Innovate and Expand? (HFR ’12)
Editor Robin Lake introduces the key areas explored in this year’s volume of Hopes, Fears, & Reality.
Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012
This year’s edition focuses on growth and innovation and pushes charter school leaders to consider whether they are fully using their flexibility and autonomy on behalf of students.
BRIEF – Principal Concerns in Wisconsin: Focus on Future Leaders for Rural Schools
This analysis finds that over 70% of Wisconsin’s school leaders will still be on the job in five years, with rural districts most affected by upcoming retirements.
Portfolio Strategies, Relinquishment, The Urban School System of the Future, and Smart Districts
This brief shows how some new proposals for K-12 public education governance are complements, rather than alternatives, to the portfolio strategy.
Student-Based Allocation to Enable School Choice
This brief explains the need for student-based allocation to enable student choice and portable funding across schools within districts.
Principal Concerns in Indiana: Focus on Developing Current Principals
This analysis finds two thirds of Indiana principals will likely still be leading schools in five years, suggesting the state should focus on evaluating, supporting, and developing its current school leaders.
How Public Universities Close Budget Gaps Matters For States
Cuts to state support for higher education have prompted some universities to raise tuition, admit more out-of-state students, and increase enrollment to close budget gaps. This analysis compares these three strategies in terms of the relative magnitude needed to close a gap in state funds and the extent to which they contribute to degree production for state students.
The Opportunity Cost of Smaller Classes: A State-By-State Spending Analysis
Consideration of whether smaller classes are preferable to larger ones requires some recognition of the opportunity costs involved. This brief provides a state-by-state context by computing the dollars at stake in marginally raising the number of students per class.
What Happens to Teacher Salaries During a Recession?
This study uses data from Seattle Public Schools to explore actual salary changes amidst rapid changes in economic context and the effect of the recession on teacher pay.
Innovating Toward Sustainability: How Computer Labs Can Enable New Staffing Structures, and New Savings
Using wage and staffing data from states, this paper projects the financial and staffing implications of one innovative school model (the Rocketship lab rotation) to highlight potential impacts on the schooling workforce and total per-student spending.
