The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
The Los Angeles Unified School District Community Schools Initiative: An Implementation and Impact Evaluation
English Summary
The evaluation of the LAUSD Community Schools Initiative found that while the program significantly enhanced student and family well-being, these perceived positive impacts did not translate into statistically detectable improvements in student academic achievement. Successful implementation was highly dependent on granting schools local autonomy and utilizing coordinators with deep, pre-existing community ties, while competing district policies often served as significant barriers. For policy leaders, the findings recommend streamlining administrative processes and placing greater emphasis on non-academic factors, specifically teacher well-being and dedicated staff efforts to improve student attendance. These insights suggest that scaling community schools requires protecting local decision-making power while addressing systemic bureaucratic constraints.
中文摘要
對洛杉磯學區（LAUSD）社區學校計畫的評估發現，儘管該計畫顯著提升了學生和家庭的福祉，但這些被認知的正面影響並未轉化為學業成就上具有統計學意義的改善。計畫的成功實施高度依賴於賦予學校地方自主權，並利用與社區有深厚既有聯繫的協調員；然而，競爭性的學區政策往往構成重大障礙。對於政策制定者而言，研究結果建議簡化行政流程，並更著重於非學術因素，特別是教師的福祉和專職人員為改善學生出勤率所做的努力。這些洞察表明，要擴大規模社區學校，必須在解決系統性的官僚限制的同時，保護地方決策權。
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