Governing Learning in Ohio's Urban School Districts: an Exploration of Five Sets of Governance Issues That Appear Related to Student Achievement.

This study explored how the governance leadership of Ohio's urban school districts views and deals with major governance issues related to student achievement. Five sets of issues were chosen as the focus of the research: (1) the recruitment, selection, retention, and evaluation of Ohio urban superintendents of schools and school district treasurers; (2) recruitment, selection, assignment, and evaluation of teachers, principals, and other professionals in urban systems; (3) school board effectiveness; (4) escalating competition for planning time and resources as it drains district capacities for governing and managing urban districts; and (5) technology, egovernment, and institutional oversight. Researchers conducted a set of focus groups in three areas of the state, additional focus groups of administrators, and a conference on governance and student achievement attended by representatives of nine urban school districts. Findings from these focus groups and conferences are grouped according to the set of issues. Representatives of the urban districts that examined these issues found that they had much in common, and they expressed the belief that they would benefit from united, or at least mutually supporting, actions. Findings show that it is difficult to focus on the governance of learning projects when so many other factors, many of them easier to discuss, are believed to contribute to learning. Governance in urban education is becoming more, rather than less, difficult, and deserves greater attention that it usually receives. An appendix lists the issues in each set discussed. (Contains 16 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY