Peabody Journal of Education, Vol. 82, No. 4
Abstract
Mayoral Leadership Matters: Lessons Learned From Mayoral Control of Large Urban School Systems
Kenneth K. Wong
Department of Education, Brown University
Francis X. Shen
Department of Government, Harvard University
"Mayoral takeover" has emerged as a major reform option for struggling urban districts since it was launched in Boston in 1992 and Chicago in 1995. This article examines the design, implementation, and the effects of mayoral-led school systems. Our research addresses issues that are critical to system wide improvement: Are there variation in how mayors govern their schools? How can mayors "add values" to current school reform efforts in their cities? Have more resources been provided for teaching and learning? Is the public more confident in their city's school system? Are test scores improving? In addressing these issues of student outcomes and management improvement, we highlight lessons learned from our research project's mixed-methods approach, including case studies and statistical analyses using a multiyear database on a purposeful sample of 100 urban districts.
About The Authors
Kenneth K. Wong is the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Professor for Education Policy and the Director of Urban Education Policy Program at Brown University. He has conducted extensive research in the politics of education and federalism and is the recipient of the 2007 Deil Wright Best Paper Award given by the American Political Science Association. His recent publications include The Education Mayor (Georgetown University Press) and Successful Schools and Educational Accountability (Pearson Education, Inc).
Francis X. Shen is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a licensed attorney in Missouri. He will receive his Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard in June 2008, and is currently a Doctoral Fellow in Inequality at the Kennedy School of Government. Since 2004, Shen has served as a statistical consultant for the U.S. Dept. of Education Center on School Choice, Competition and Achievement. He recently co-authored The Education Mayor (Georgetown Press), the most extensive study to date of mayoral appointed school boards, as well as chapters in Charter School Outcomes (Taylor and Francis) and Besieged: School Boards and the Future of Education Politics (Brookings). He has published on school finance, charter schools, and the politics of school governance, and has consulted lawmakers and school district officials in a number of states.
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