Deficient urban schooling remains one of America's most pressing--and stubborn--public policy problems. This important new book details and evaluates a radical and promising new approach to K-12 education reform. "Strife and Progress" explains for a broad audience the "portfolio strategy" for providing urban education--its…

Written as a practical guide for mayors, civic leaders, and school board members, this book describes the politics of reform in urban school systems and clarifies options available to community leaders seeking to improve school performance. Drawing lessons from six U.S. cities that have made concerted efforts to improve their schools, the volume…

In many big cities, noneducators are being asked to create rescue strategies for the public schools. In Cleveland (Ohio) and Chicago (Illinois), mayors have taken over the school systems, and in the District of Columbia and Baltimore (Maryland), reform boards have been asked to improve the schools. This book is designed to help these noneducators…