Although politicians like to portray school systems as bloated bureaucracies, many urban districts have been dramatically decentralized in recent years, according to participants at ASCD's Symposium on Urban Curriculum and Instructional Leadership. The experiences of these districts raise questions about how much centralized control a district ideally should have.
The Vancouver, British Columbia, public schools are going through "a major downsizing," said Colin McDougall, who is responsible for curriculum and instruction in the Vancouver schools. The district is working to reduce bureaucracy and focus on the needs of teachers and learners at the school site, he said. But the changes have caused tension. "Teachers complain when services [formerly provided by the central office] aren't there."
The most striking example of decentralization is the Chicago public schools, where responsibility and power—including control of finances—have been taken away from the central office and moved to schools. Through local school councils, parents, teachers, and principals have broad control over budget and personnel. The central office has been cut by 1,000 people over the past two years, said Adrienne Bailey, the district's deputy superintendent for instructional services.
Decentralization has not been a panacea for the Chicago schools, however. Four years into the reform, student achievement is down; scores have regressed each year, Bailey said.
As in Chicago, decentralized control has not solved all problems in the Dade County (Fla.) public schools. After four years of site-based management, the district realized "something was lacking," said Phyllis Cohen, deputy superintendent for instructional leadership. Student achievement was not rising. Site-based management had focused on the work environment for teachers, not on curriculum reform, she said. To remedy that problem, the district decided to centralize all curriculum functions.
Local control of the curriculum has become a contentious issue in the New York City public schools, where a multicultural education effort has led to clashes over values. The city has a large Catholic community, as well as a large gay and lesbian community, noted Argie Johnson, deputy chancellor for instruction. Last fall, Chancellor Joseph Fernandez suspended a Queens school board that rejected the respect-for-all (including gays) aspect of the curriculum.
Participants at the Symposium voiced their belief that reform must be both top-down and bottom-up—a condition that requires a balance of control between the central office and schools.