As school districts across the country struggle financially, Frederick M. Hess of AEI and Eric Osberg of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute offer new insight into how school leaders can not only survive the current economic storm, but also restructure their schools to save money and improve efficiency.

Aggressive leadership on the "business" of schooling isn't an end in itself, but it is essential if school leaders are going to have the resources they need to drive improvements in teaching and learning through the stormy seas ahead.

Educators are facing what Secretary Duncan has termed the “new normal.” Learning to operate in an environment of flat or declining spending is a new challenge for most educators. It's important to know how not to respond, and then to start thinking proactively about how to find the silver lining in this cloud.

While educators are eager to forget the financial woes of the past two years and return to the familiar routine of steady budget increases, the fiscal outlook for America's fourteen thousand school districts is bleak--not just for next year, but for a half decade or more.

In this era of constrained resources, how can schools cut costs, eliminate inefficient spending, and fuel school improvement?