As more K-12 school districts have hired equity officers, questions have arisen about their role and effectiveness. A recent Heritage Foundation report, for example, found that schools with equity officers have the lowest achievement outcomes. Mary Rice-Boothe and Tanji Reed Marshall point out, however, that student achievement is not the only…

No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Act have made accountability central to conversations about education policy. But neither statute articulates a clear vision of what constitutes "quality" or "equity" in education, nor do they include a mechanism to ensure that schools have sufficient resources to pursue that…

In rural America, community members are working together to reform education, revitalize communities, and improve the quality of life. This article describes long-term efforts, such as Alabama's PACERS program, Georgia's REAL Enterprises project, and Minnesota's Center for School Change. Smaller-scale efforts in Nebraska, Mississippi, and South…

Contrasts two communities' solutions to the AIDS crisis. Ocilla, Georgia, self-defined as a community of isolation, tries to avoid AIDS and segregate virus-carriers (Blacks only so far) from everyone else. Pilsen Academy (Chicago) is a model of openness, approaching AIDS through education, individual empowerment, collective decision-making, and…

Researchers asked 316 public school parents how they would respond if government money, such as a tuition tax credit, was provided to help send their children to private schools. Results suggest that if tuition tax credits are made available, the public school population will tend to shift further toward lower-income families. (MJL)

Reviews precedents, at the state level, to the movement for education reform. Reports, by year and state, on first reactions to reform. Outlines topics touched by state reform efforts, summarizes unifying themes, and predicts the future of reform. Includes a table of states requiring testing for initial certification of teachers. (IW)