More than a year after dismantling a student-assignment policy based on socioeconomic diversity and setting off a wave of reaction that drew national attention, the Wake County, North Carolina, school board took a step that may turn down the temperature of the intense debate. The board, which has been deeply split on an assignment plan for the…

This article talks about a colorblind plan that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district adopted for student assignment in 2002 that is producing more racially isolated schools, like Selwyn Elementary School, and more schools enrolling high concentrations of poor children. The 2-year-old plan gives parents a choice of schools and provides all…

Private foundations can play a critical, catalytic role in changing American public education for the better, but they could and should be getting more bang for their bucks than they are right now. This article reports on a diverse collection of research papers that aims to shed unprecedented light both on the scope of contemporary education…