If the mission of schooling is defined by democratic standards, schools must respond to societal conditions in order to perform well for all students, and the schools' constituents (parents, children, and the community) must be empowered. (Author/GC)

Describes the origins, grievances, and strategies of the educational excellence movement that Ron Edmonds helped to catalyze. Sees the movement as decentralized, led by lay people and concerned with higher standards for all. Argues that the movement is fueled by public discontent of the past two decades. (RDN)

Argues for the need to render schools that Black children attend more educationally effective regardless of the feasibility of making those schools integrated. Further argues that racial-balance remedies do not guarantee the equal education demanded by the "Brown" decision and that the all-Black schools that persist need not be…