Kedro, M. James (2004).
Aligning Resources for Student Outcomes: School-Based Steps to Success.
Latham, MD: Scarecrow (now Rowman Education).
Increasing student outcomes has become a matter of survival for many schools in this era of high stakes testing when the failure to improve student test scores has serious consequences. Even assuming that high levels of commitment and adequate funding exist, school leaders are left struggling to know how to approach improving student learning. Research has shown that providing increased funding and outstanding teachers does not necessarily lead to higher test scores. To quote Kedro, “If our input is excellent, our outcome should be no less, right?” Yet he answers his own question with the response “Not exactly” (p. 19). This book is his attempt to provide guidance on how schools can move forward through thoughtful budgeting within the framework of school-based management.
The book is described by the publisher as a “roadmap” to help school personnel. I suspect that even Kedro might consider this a bit of an overstatement. He is quick to point out that there are no easy answers, and he advises school leaders to do their own research, although he warns them that “the stack of SBM studies by academicians and practitioners that piles up on your desk could rival a skyscraper” (p. 3). In fact, I would advise readers to start with the resources Kedro lists. His case studies of schools that have effectively implemented site-based management, the web page addresses, and other sources cited are among the most useful features of the book. The examples of partnering that he includes, especially those implemented in his home school district of St. Louis, are particularly informative and useful.
Kedro’s style is informal and highly readable. He utilizes numerous allusions from popular culture that draw in the reader and make his points more memorable. I thought a section adapted from one of his earlier works that asks whether today’s “innovations” are really new was fascinating. However, I found the targeted audience a little confusing. I assume that the book was written for school administrators. Certainly the chapters entitled “Consultative Leadership, Budgeting for Instructional Coherence,” “Targeting Staff Development,” and “Overcoming Resistance and Unlocking Potential” all seem to be written specifically for administrators or school leaders. Additionally, each chapter includes “Reflection and Discussion” questions that seem to target administrators. But it also strikes me that some of the background information, for example, a rather lengthy explanation of the budget planning cycle, would be unnecessary for most educators, and certainly for administrators.
Although the title of the book is intriguing, I think maybe it promises a little too much. Perhaps a more accurate, although admittedly less compelling, title would be A Guide to Budgeting in Site-based Management. Although Kedro provides much useful advice and analysis, I struggled to make the link between aligning resources and student outcomes that I had anticipated from the title. I also think that including the word Management after School- or Site-Based in the title would give the reader a better idea of what follows. Despite this reservation, however, the book should prove a useful source for leaders involved in site-based management.
Recommended for libraries serving educational administration or educational leadership programs.
Pages: 252
Price: $32.95
ISBN: 1-57886-127-6
Reviewed by Sharon Naylor, Education Librarian, Illinois State University
