This publication provides basic descriptive information about the 100 largest school districts in the United States and its outlying areas. The information was provided by state education agencies about student membership, revenues, and expenditures. The 100 largest districts, representing fewer than 1% of the nation's school districts, serve about 23% of public school students and employ about 23% of public school teachers. Almost all of these districts encompass large cities, but only about half are confined to city limits. One-third of these districts are found in Florida, Texas, and California; and more than half of these large districts have minority enrollment of over 50%. In addition, schools in the 100 largest districts tend to be about 38% larger than the average American school. Information on school and student characteristics and school finances is presented in 10 basic tables. Three text tables establish a meaningful context for the information on the 100 school districts. Appendixes list the 500 largest school districts, and an alphabetical list of the 500 districts. (SLD)

This work investigates the complexity of ethics as a field of inquiry and practice across a principal's career. Fully contextualized, and thus carrying the contradictions and requirements of any school, the issues realistically do not usually lead to a single, beat-all answer, as any solution will likely have positive and negative consequences. Drawn from the authors' experiences and studies of schools over decades, the central figure is a fictional principal of a magnet school, whose dilemmas reflect the questions educators must be prepared for. Each decision takes into account the principal's and staff's identities and values because they are all human and their opinions influence the outcomes. The work injects analytic, virtue, feminist, care, deontological, and critical theory insights as Deweyan ethics provides a lens for examining dilemmas. This accessible work blends reflective theory, the ordinary worlds of schools, and engaging pedagogical practice to guide those planning to enter the education sector.

Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.