BALTIMORE--State policymakers know they have to do something about consistenly failing urban districts, but they haven't found any good answers yet. This was the gist of an unusual, day-long meeting here of legislators, state superintendents, and others from 14 states sponsored by the Education Commission of the States.

Originally called to focus on the policies and experiences of states that have taken over educationally failing urban districts, the participants obviously wanted to avoid this step. "The state superintendent can't do this effectively," John Goff, Ohio's state superintendent, acknowledged willingly after describing at length the problems he has run into as the "superintendent" of the Cleveland schools. The solutions "have to be closer to home" than through his agency's takeover of the system, he said.

Goff's problems with federal judges, special interests, and an "intractable" system were echoed by others at the meeting. "It's trench warfare out there," said one state legislator.

State Del. Howard Rawlings of Baltimore, chair of the Maryland House's appropriations committee, pointed out that "whites have a tendency to be patronizing and to not hold these largely minority urban districts to the same standards as for other districts." In negotiating a way to avoid a state takeover of the Baltimore schools, the mayor ceded some of his authority over the schools to the state board. Rawlings said that Mayor Kurt Schmoke "had taken the heat" for turning the system over "to a white state board and state department" and he had been threatened with reprisals.

The Baltimore plan, spelled out in a consent decree, was praised as a way to develop partnerships around saving urban districts. It involves state agencies, the mayor's office, and the school system. However, it comes with a five-year, $230 million price tag and has yet to be approved by the Maryland Assembly.

Leaders willing to take risks, a get-serious attitude about accountability, and a political fluke led to the Illinois legislature's turning over of control of the Chicago schools to the mayor, according to State Rep. Mary Lou Cowlishaw. Republican control of the legislature and governorship allowed the plan to go through, several at the meeting pointed out. Had the Democrats been in control, special interest lobbying from Chicago would have prevented the action, they said.

Illinois State Superintendent Joseph Spagnolo, Jr., urged the group to move to the next level--"finding out what to do to help children from these districts learn at higher levels." The consensus of the group is that state policies and actions so far have not produced higher student achievement. "We can deal with the financial mismanagement," he said, but when state people push on the academic side, "we're treated as an invading army."

State policymakers predicted it would take at least five years of consistent state work and leadership in urban districts to make an impact upon student achievement. They also agreed that no one model of state action would be effective. Each state has to work out its own solution to problems in urban districts. ECS will publish a summary of the meeting as well as a background paper on takeover policies.