The racial achievement gap has persisted in the decades since "Brown v. Board," despite large-scale investment in school reform. Accordingly, some administrators and politicians are reconsidering integration policies as a means of addressing the gap. This study examines one Chicago community's discussion of such integration policy.…

This paper analyzes President Obama's education policies as they relate to charter schools. The authors first show how his policies continue previous neoconservative and neoliberal educational initiatives that marketize schooling. Arne Duncan's role in charter schools, both in his capacity as former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and in his…

Exploring the critical role of school choice in the future of education reform, the Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI) is an interactive web application that scores large school districts based on thirteen categories of policy and practice relevant to choice. The intent of the ECCI is to: create public awareness of the differences among…

A study of high school choice programs in four large cities (New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston) shows that meaningful school choice is beyond the reach of the most vulnerable innercity students. Educators considering such plans must recognize the dangers (like stacked admissions policies) raised for these youth. (MLH)

In many urban areas, educators rely on magnet schools to strike a delicate balance between the need to create opportunities for equity in education and the need for parents to have greater choice among schools. But, are magnet schools successful? This document considers whether they fulfill the promises of high achievement and desegregation in…

Explains that every school system faces the challenge of how to manage staff more effectively, introducing several articles that focus on whether: large-city school systems are more bureaucratic, a system of family school choice is more efficient or effective, tuition is an answer to a reduction in public education finance, and there are common…

The Chicago Public Schools have recently been restructured by the Illinois General Assembly, radically altering patterns of governance (voice) and patterns of choice in Chicago. This paper analyzes the history of the Chicago restructuring campaign and the specific conception of school-based governance enacted into law. The paper also analyzes the…

The increased enrollment and recruitment of black pupils in urban nonpublic schools prompted this study, which uses an ethnographic approach to investigate the family/school relations of black children and their parents. It is the first intensive study of black children in ecologically diverse settings. The schools, all located in Chicago,…

The increased enrollment and recruitment of black pupils in urban nonpublic schools prompted this study, which uses an ethnographic approach to investigate the family/school relations of black children and their parents. This executive summary is extrapolated from the first intensive study of black children in ecologically diverse settings. The…

The voluntary transfer policy that is part of the desegregation plan of the Chicago (Illinois) public schools appears to have negative effects on the "sending" schools that students elect to leave. Fourteen sending schools were selected for study from a population of 105 low-achieving, low-income, predominantly minority neighborhood…

Comprehensive educational choice, implemented by a voucher system, would improve the quality of education of Chicago's elementary and secondary students and empower parents to choose the public or private school that would best serve their children's special needs. Enrollment in the Chicago Public Schools has decreased by 29 percent since 1971,…

Connecticut Governor Lowell P. Weicker recently assumed state responsibility for ending racial and economic segregation in suburban and inner-city schools through cooperative, comprehensive five-year planning efforts. Most substantial gains for minority students occur when desegregation plans are metropolitan or countywide. Efforts to combine…

This report analyzes a set of interlocking placement and labeling practices that heavily influence access to educational opportunities in the nation's largest urban school systems. The practices analyzed include high school admission, within-school tracking and grouping, and grade promotion and retention. Study conclusions and related…

After visiting 30 inner-city schools in New York City, Chicago, San Antonio, Ohio, and New Jersey, the acclaimed author of "Death at an Early Age" concludes that public schools remain more separate and unequal than they were 27 years ago. Instead of embracing vouchers for school choice, we should support and fund genuine equality for all…

The results of a 2-year study examining the ways that four major urban school systems (New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston) sort students into different schools, tracks, ability groups, and grade levels are summarized in this report. The study looked carefully at the effects of these sorting practices on low-income, minority, limited…