Books, published articles, and independent research papers addressing issues that impact school boards and education leaders in America.
“What School Boards Can Do: Reform Governance for Urban Schools”
By Donald R. McAdams
Foreword by Rod Paige, former U.S. Secretary of Education
Published by Teachers College Press, January 2006
"Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools ... and Winning! Lessons From Houston"
By Donald R. McAdams
Published by Teachers College Press, 2000
"Houston: Washington . . . We Have a Problem"
By Donald R. McAdams and Susan Sclafani
New Directions: Federal Education Policy in the Twenty-First Century, pp. 135-138
Marci Kanstoroom and Chester E. Finn, Jr., Editors
Published by The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in cooperation with The Manhattan Institute, March 1999
"Lessons from Houston"
By Donald R. McAdams
Brookings Papers on Education Policy: 1999, pp. 129-183
Diane Ravitch, Editor
Published by Brookings Institution Press, 1999
"Governing Well: Two Approaches From a National Commission For Honing the Enterprise To Support Better Schools"
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in Education Week, November 24, 1999, pp. 44 and 32
[Read First Article] (must be a subscriber to view)
[Read Second Article] (must be a subscriber to view)
"Bush's Education Claims Ring True”
By Donald R. McAdams and W. Robert Houston
Published in Newsday, Viewpoints, May 10, 2000, p. A55
Also syndicated nationally and published in newspapers throughout the United States
[Read Excerpt] (full article requires a small fee)
“How Houston Improved its Urban Schools”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in Basic Education, Vol.46, No. 4, December 2001, pp. 14-16
[Read Article] (PDF file)
“The New Challenge for School Boards”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in ECS Governance Notes, February 2002
“School Board Members: The Forgotten Reformers? An Interview with Donald R. McAdams”
By George A. Clowes
Published in School Reform News, April 2002, pp. 10-11
“Strengthening Urban Boards: School Boards”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in American School Board Journal, Vol. 189, No. 12, December 2002, pp. 41-43
“Training Your Board to Lead”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, November 2003, p. 7
“Management Oversight But Not Management”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, September 2004, p. 6
“Philanthropy and Urban School District Reform: Lessons from Charlotte, Houston, and San Diego”
By Donald R, McAdams with Lynn Jenkins
With the Best of Intentions, pp. 129-156
Frederick M. Hess, Editor
Published by Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Education Press, 2005
“The Short, Productive Board Meeting”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, September 2005, p. 6
“When Technology Supports Teachers’ Work: Implementation of Houston’s Teacher Tools Online Initiative”
By Donald R. McAdams with Betsy Broyles Breier, Jacqueline Hawkins, and Kenneth K. Wong
Systemwide Efforts to Improve Student Achievement , pp. 173-194
Kenneth K. Wong and Stacey A. Rutledge, Editors
Published by Connecticut: Information Age Publishing, 2006
“District Initiatives to Improve Curriculum and Instruction; Views of Administrators on Houston’s Teacher Tools Online Initiative”
By Donald R. McAdams with Kenneth K. Wong, Betsy Broyles Breier, and Jacqueline Hawkins
Systemwide Efforts to Improve Student Achievement , pp. 227-240
Kenneth K. Wong and Stacey A. Rutledge, Editors
Published by Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing, 2006
“Administrative Support for Board Members”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, January 2006
“Link Your Evaluation to District Performance”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, September 2006, p. 8
“Urban School Boards and Their Communities”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in Annenberg Institute for School Reform Voices in Urban Education, Number 13, Fall 2006, pp. 14-21
[Read Excerpt] (with audio clip)
“Planning for Your Own Succession”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, January 2007, p. 6
“Influencing the Board Presidency, Behind the Scenes”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, November 2007, p. 6
“Responding to Board Member Requests for Information”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, March 2008, p. 6
“The Pros and Cons of Standing Board Committees”
By Donald R. McAdams
Published in The School Administrator, May 2008
“Leaving No Child Behind - Lessons From The Houston Independent School District”
A Report on the “Making the Grade” Conference
By James Harvey, Donald R. McAdams and Paul T. Hill
October 2000
CRSS published Leaving No Child Behind after commissioning nationally known researchers to write papers about different aspects of the reform effort in Houston Independent School District. The researchers presented their papers at a conference called “Making the Grade” where education, civic and business leaders came together to discuss the results. CRSS synthesized the papers and outcomes of the Making the Grade conference to create Leaving No Child Behind.
[Read Report] (PDF file)
“Urban District Accountability Systems”
The Education Commission of the States gave a grant to CRSS to conduct a nationwide study of large district accountability systems. Through telephone surveys, CRSS collected detailed information about the accountability systems for 100 of the largest districts in the nation. The final report, Urban District Accountability Systems, is available online. At the ECS website, search the keyword “McAdams” for a link to the article.
"Evaluating the Texas Institute for School Boards"
Independent Evaluation of the Texas Institute for School Boards
By Denise Quigley
April 2009
This independent evaluation tracked the quality and impact of the Texas Institute for School Boards and its alumni program over three years. The evaluation was conducted by Denise Quigley of Evaluation & Research Services (ERS) based in California. The Houston Endowment contracted directly with ERS for the evaluation.
Reform Governance-How has it influenced Texas school board members and their boards?
Executive Summary-Reform Governance-How has it influenced Texas school board members and their boards?
Teaching School Boards about Leadership and Strategic Policymaking: The Texas Institute Training and Lessons in Reform Governance
Executive Summary-Teaching School Boards about Leadership and Strategic Policymaking: The Texas Institute Training and Lessons in Reform Governance
Teaching School Board Members about Reform Governance: Evaluation of the Texas Institute for School Board Training Research Summary