This reader is one of four parts of the Open University (in the United Kingdom) Course E333, "Policy-making in Education." The ten articles included focus on the patterns of race and gender inequalities in British education, and the methods used by central and local government and educational institutions to address those inequalities.…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the implementation of a mandatory uniform policy in urban public high schools improved school performance measures at the building level for rates of attendance, graduation, academic proficiency, and student conduct as measured by rates of suspensions and expulsions. Sixty-four secondary…

This report provides an in-depth review of school reform research that presents evidence of college preparation for all students. It examines the predictors of college-going behavior and how they have been addressed within the high school reform movement. The report then draws out the promising practices from existing reform initiatives and makes…

The convergence of two apparently opposite theories of urban educational reform is analyzed as it occurs in three middle schools in a New York City school district. The first theory, emphasizing small schools of choice, promotes close relationships between students and adults in distinctive school programs. The second--centralized, standards-based…

This report presents results from four 1999 Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) school district surveys. The Survey of Enacted Curriculum is the study component of a grant from the National Science Foundation to examine how reform works in USI districts. The study explores the impact of USI programs on student achievement and the learning…

This report presents results from eight Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) school district surveys conducted during 1999 and 2000. The Survey of Enacted Curriculum is the study component of a National Science Foundation grant on how reform works in USI districts. The study explores the impact of USI programs on student achievement and the learning…

Volume I begins with the Commissioner of Education's introduction and a survey of education progress from 1900 to 1910. Subsequent chapters cover higher education, education legislation, recent progress in city schools, U.S. library extension programs, current education topics across education sectors and jurisdictions, industrial-education…

This report is an overview of a conference on the reform of urban schools, focusing on the Chicago (Illinois) public schools. Panel discussions included the following: (1) "Parents' Role/Parental Involvement"; (2) "School-Based Management"; (3) "The Principal's Roles and Responsibilities"; (4) "Teacher…

This book presents cases of schools (Part One) and programs at the district level and beyond (Part Two) in which reform, while driven by high-stakes accountability, became larger and deeper through data-driven dialogue, culture change, organizational learning, and other elements of high performing cultures. Commentaries on cross-case patterns by…

So extensive and so complex has the modern city school system become that it is impossible in a short chapter to discuss more than a few of the educational movements in the cities of the country, and these only briefly. In addition to day elementary and secondary schools, the activities of city school systems include night schools, continuation…

This volume presents a variety of different implementations of the professional development school concept of teacher education in the following 17 author-contributed chapters: "School-University Partnerships and Partner Schools" (John Goodlad); "Design Principles and Criteria for Professional Development Schools" (Frank…

Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) represents the only chance for many Baltimore City residents to obtain a post-secondary education, find a job with a career path, and earn a sufficient income to support a family. BCCC is also a critical linchpin in Baltimore's ability to build a competitive workforce. Yet the college, with 7,300 credit…

Closing the digital divide requires much more than buying equipment, it requires increasing the knowledge and skills of teachers using the technology, and access to digital tools in the community. In such a larger system of change, technology can serve as a catalyst for increasing teacher and student learning. The Anaheim City School District…

A 3-year collaborative project among Clay and Duval County (Florida) school districts, two professional teacher organizations, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, and the University of North Florida College of Education and Human Services sought to improve the preparation of urban teachers, increase student achievement, and decrease urban…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) U.S. Mayors Adopt Alliance's Recommendations on Teacher Induction at Annual Conference; (2) Chicago to Close…