Publications

November 2013 (Revised February 2016)
Case

A Long, Bumpy and Unfinished Road: Education Reform in Memphis, Tennessee

By: Allen Grossman, J. Puckett and Nithya Vaduganathan

In 2010 the Memphis City School District merged with the neighboring Shelby County School system under the supervision of a single board of education and superintendent. It promised much more than just administrative synergies—it was an opportunity to change a... View Details

Keywords: Education Reform; Public Education; Business Engagement; Public Sector; Education; Business and Community Relations; Education Industry; Tennessee

December 2013 (Revised December 2014)
Case

Reform in the Chicago Public Schools

By: Matthew Weinzierl and Katrina Flanagan

In 2012, the Chicago Teachers' Union went on strike over proposed reforms by the city's mayor, Rahm Emanuel. At the heart of the reforms, and the strike, was frustration over many decades of underperformance in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and a surge of... View Details

Keywords: Public Education; Public Goods; Samuelson Rule; Externalities And Pigouvian Corrections; Tiebout Sorting And Efficiency; Education; Labor Unions; Public Administration Industry; Public Administration Industry; Chicago

October 2006 (Revised December 2012)
Background Note

Note on U.S. Public Education Finance (A): Revenues

Describes the revenue structure of U.S. public education. Covers funding by federal, state, and local governments. Examines in detail two federal education laws: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act... View Details

Keywords: Education; Revenue; Public Administration Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States

May 02 2016
Brochure

Public Education Leadership Project Brochure

05 Jul 2006
Working Paper Summaries

Promoting a Management Revolution in Public Education

Keywords: by Stacey M. Childress, Richard Elmore & Allen S. Grossman; Education

Reconsidering the Urban Disadvantaged

Villa Victoria examines how of a group of low-income Puerto Rican migrants with little formal education living in a Boston enclave resisted the efforts of the city to relocate them in the name of "urban renewal." After a successful grassroots movement, the... View Details

October 2006 (Revised August 2023)
Background Note

Note on Student Outcomes in U.S. Public Education

By: Stacey M. Childress, Stig Leschly and John J-H Kim

Surveys educational outcomes among public school students in the United States. Educational outcomes are categorized as achievement outcomes (measured primarily by students' performance on standardized test results) and attainment outcomes (measured primarily by... View Details

Keywords: Demographics; Education; Outcome or Result; Public Administration Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States

10 AM – 11 AM EDT, 22 Oct 2015
Webinars: Trending@HBS

Collective Impact: An Innovative Approach to Improving Public Education

In this webinar, Professor Grossman will describe an innovative approach to improving public education Collective Impact and how you can get involved to help transform public education in the communities you care about. View Details

2013
Case

Career Pathways, Performance Pay, and Peer-review Promotion in Baltimore City Public Schools

By: Susan Moore Johnson, John J-H Kim, Geoff Marietta, S. Elisabeth Faller and James Noonan

In the fall of 2012, Dr. Andres Alonso had much to celebrate about in his five-year tenure as CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, including the approval and implementation of an innovative teachers' contract with a jointly-governed four-tier career pathway that tied... View Details

Keywords: Labor Management; Public Education; PELP; Union; Compensation; Collaboration; Public Education Leadership Project; Education; Labor; Compensation and Benefits; Education Industry; United States

July 2003 (Revised January 2013)
Background Note

Note on Organized Labor in U.S. Public Education

Surveys the history, structure, and activities of the two dominant U.S. teachers unions—the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The NEA and AFT represent approximately 90% of U.S. public school teachers and have grown... View Details

Keywords: Labor Unions; Education; Education Industry; United States

20 Nov 2014
News

Strengthening America's Public Education System

public education system. Together with the Boston Consulting Group and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, they convened more than 100 business and education leaders for a... View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

Working to improve California's public education system

Katherine Welch (MBA 1988) found her passion in working to improve public education in California. In this video she reviews how she arrived at this personal and civic mission, serving as a board member of... View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

Leading in business and in public education

saving it from bankruptcy and building a profitable business. Numerous nonprofits also have benefitted from his leadership, including the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the City Parks Foundation, as well as View Details

November 2006 (Revised December 2012)
Background Note

Note on U.S. Public Education Finance (B): Expenditures

Describes the cost structure and spending policies of U.S. public school districts. View Details

Keywords: Spending; Education; Public Administration Industry; Public Administration Industry; United States

24 Apr 2014
News

An engine of innovation in public education

Drawing upon his background as an entrepreneur and educator, Stig Leschly (MBA 1997/JD 1998) leads Match Education, a reform group that seeks to redefine effective teaching and improve the educational experience of low-income students. It... View Details

2005
Working Paper

Promoting a Management Revolution in Public Education

By: Stacey Childress, Richard Elmore and Allen Grossman