Reinventing Public Education

Under NCLB, public schools are required to demonstrate each year that students in all demographic groups are making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward specific educational goals. In 2005, approximately 21,000 schools failed to achieve AYP. The number of schools designated as “needing improvement” because they have failed to make AYP for two or three years jumped from 6,000 in 2003 to 11,000 in 2005.1

Although NCLB is under-funded by Congress, states can exploit the little flexibility it affords to comply with its mandates. For example, while NCLB requires that students demonstrate improvement in reading and math, the law does not actually specify that standardized tests are the only type of assessment to be used. States can tailor reforms to meet their specific needs.

Based on the principles of empowerment, accountability and efficiency, Hawaii’s law grants principals and communities more decision-making authority and holds all participants responsible for student achievement.

Instead of using a simple per-student formula to determine school funding, the Hawaii Act assigns funding based on student needs. Students with greater needs receive greater resources, and funding follows students to whatever schools they attend. A Committee on Weights composed of educators and community members annually recommends the formula for allocating money to public schools based on the educational needs of each student.

Most principals have discretionary power over only three percent of school budgets, according to one nationwide study.2 Hawaii gives school principals control over 70 percent of school budgets. This concept is often called Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM), and it holds principals responsible for students’ academic progress in their schools. To ensure that principals are able to make the most of their new budget authority, the state Department of Education created the Hawaii Principals Academy to provide leadership training that complements their heightened responsibilities.

SCCs are elected advisory boards that develop policies, make recommendations on student achievement, and participate in the selection and evaluation of a school’s principal. Recent research suggests that shared decision-making improves school culture and student learning. Children are more successful when families are involved in their education, and the SCC gives families the opportunity to participate to the fullest extent possible.3

Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina and Texas mandate some form of SBDM at every school, as do several local school districts across the country.4 A number of jurisdictions also employ student-weighted funding formulas, including the San Francisco Unified School District.