Educators often invoke the term "care" to describe why they entered the field and what compels them to continue. This book argues that care, as typically described and enacted, is not sufficient for leading schools, particularly those serving Black and Latinx children. Instead, school leaders need to embrace "radical care."…

This book is the story of school reform in Houston, Texas, where student achievement has risen, the dropout rate has been reduced, and administrative costs have dropped. This first-person account, written by a participant in the successful reform process, outlines lessons for urban school reform from the Houston experience. The chapters are: (1)…

In the mid 1990s, the U.S. Congress requested a major study of the U.S. system of elementary and secondary education finance by the National Research Council (NRC). This volume of background papers was prepared in conjunction with one part of the study. It includes eight papers commissioned by the NCR's committee to inform its discussions about…

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…

This study traced the relationships among demographic change, political change, and education in: Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Detroit, Michigan; and the District of Columbia. Although each city is different and has experienced periods of enthusiasms for school reform, all four cities are dealing with objective indicators of educational…

This book brings together ideas and strategies of prominent advocates of school reform. Discussing their experiences, especially in urban schools, in forming coalitions, framing court cases, and dealing with state politics in New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, Kentucky, and Washington, the contributors to this collection explore what…

Each chapter of this book is a call for action to help children in the United States. Some chapters focus on education, and others deal with the political and social changes needed if schools are to succeed. The chapters are: (1) "The Goals of Education"; (2) "Anger and Alienation: What To Do about it"; (3) "The Power of…

This collection explores the political context of efforts to change urban education. The contributors examine various issues in a variety of settings, and they show how hard it is to rearrange political relationships so that they will be conducive to school reform. The following essays are included: (1) "Introduction: Urban Education in…

This book is written primarily for elementary and secondary school administrators and teachers, but college faculty involved in providing teacher or administrator education would also benefit from the practical approach to issues of school security. Chapters 1 through 3 establish a framework for dealing with the myths and realities of school…

This book explores the dynamics of power among racial groups in the local community as they struggle for the fulfillment of their unique and joint goals through public education. Case studies of two educational issues are analyzed in this book. One has to do with the hiring and firing of the first black superintendent of the Boston (Massachusetts)…

This book tells the story of two African-centered schools, an elementary school and a middle school, in an urban public school system. Both schools were originally conceived as "all male academies," but legal and political obstacles caused both to become coeducational, although still African-centered. The factors that affected the…

Grounded in an in-depth study of the politics and practice of a single curriculum, "Facing History and Ourselves" (FHAO), this book integrates a close-up look at the classroom with a broader discussion of educational theory and policy. Study of the daily practice of the FHAO curriculum in a multiracial alternative and urban middle school…

This book is based on a study of a 4-year reform effort in the Newark (New Jersey) public schools. The discussion focuses on an elementary school as it attempted reform in an effort that was ultimately unsuccessful. Part I opens the discussion of the effects of social class and race on educational reform. To see why inner city schools have not…

The pool of candidates for urban superintendencies is dwindling, and those who take the jobs are likely to serve for only 2 or 3 years. This book explores contemporary conditions surrounding the urban superintendency and looks at the lives of 17 superintendents who were in office in large cities at the start of 1993. All were members of the…

It is argued that both economic concerns and political factors can be synthesized within a new framework to improve city policymaking. This approach is based on a systematic empirical study of policymaking in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) and Baltimore (Maryland) in the 1970s and early 1980s. Numerous government documents and extensive interviews with…