Major Influences That Shape Schools

What are the major influences that shape schools, those in urban centers in particular?

I live in a small suburban town with a tiny K-12 school system, from which my son and daughter graduated. I work in a semi-suburban semi-urban K-12 school district, also small.

I think there are many influences that are common to urban, suburban and rural school districts. For example, demographics: where I grew up and where I live, the populations are very homogenous, very little cultural variety. I believe this has a tremendous effect on the shaping of these suburban schools, just as a diverse population has a tremendous effect upon the shaping of urban schools.

Here's my hit list of the biggest influences/shapers of schools:

*Demographics of the community/city
Cultural background, race, educational level, income level...

*Demographics of the teaching staff
Do they reflect the racial/cultural/religious make-up of the schools, or is the staff predominantly white and not reflective of the student population?

*Political ideology of the community/city
Is the party in power conservative, liberal or something in between?

*Reform movements/models (whether successful or unsuccessful)
Reforms put into place in the educational system, whether mandated by the state or voluntary

*Financing
Funding or lack there of; financial support of the schools; federal, state, county, local monies

*Legislation
No Child Left Behind and states' responses

*Media portrayal of schools
Greatly influences the citizens of a community, which in turn influences their votes on key school issues.