Word of the Day: Transparency

We are hearing a lot about the new President and his commitment to transparency in government - federal, not state or local. But what does that really mean?

From my Random House Webster's College Dictionary (Random House 1999), transparent is defined as:
1. having the property of transmitting rays of light through its substance so that bodies situated beyond or behind can be distinctly seen . . .
4. easily seen through, recognized, or detected
5. easily understood; manifest; obvious
6. candid, frank, open

Today, in my snail mail box, an article from Government Executive described some of the issues facing the new federal administration in its commitment to a more open government. In "Behind the Curtain," some of the issues in describing the translation of transparency into practice is described:

What exactly is government transparency? How is it interpreted by those inside government who need to execute it? How will it be measured? What will it look like to the public?

Those questions are hard to answer, and the responses depend largely on who you are. Academics and good government advocates believe agencies should provide their raw data and internal evaluations of policies so the public can dig into the information to find answers to their own questions. Others believe agencies must impose order to the data so the public can easily draw conclusions. Still others believe the Obama administration should choose to show the results of programs and initiatives, and not provide the supporting data, documents or internal discussions on the thinking behind their decisions or what led to a particular outcome.

Upon taking office, President Obama requested a new open government directive laying out actions to support his campaign promise to make government open and accountable. With a deadline of May 21.

Do you think Montgomery County Public Schools will follow with a similar initiative? Or are these old concepts too - that don't apply to our world class school system.