Leading in Difficult Times: Are Urban School Boards Up to the Task? In the overall effort to improve student achievement across the nation, much attention has been focused on education leadership as embodied in district administrators and school principals. But in some large urban school systems, the focus has broadened to include the local school board. An array of stakeholders in these cities questions whether the school board as traditionally defined is capable of ensuring the education reforms that are needed. This publication describes the challenges facing school boards in large urban districts, reviews the governance alternatives being tried in various cities, and identifies related considerations. ADD TO CART PDF Version: http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/pt-03-01.pdf Audience: Policymakers, Public Product Information Format: Print Publisher: WestEd Copyright: 2003 Product #: PT-03-01 Pages: 8