America's educational system has a problem with boys, and it's nothing new. The question of what to do with boys--the "boy problem"--has vexed educators and social commentators for more than a century. Contemporary debates about poor academic performance of boys, especially those of color, point to a myriad of reasons: inadequate and…

In the last decade, the Boston Public Schools has undergone critical reforms that have been of intense interest to school leaders and policymakers throughout the country. Under the leadership of superintendent Thomas Payzant, the Boston schools implemented extensive reform strategies that yielded notable results. Fittingly, at the end of Payzant's…

This book presents data from Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.'s national study that focused on urban teacher induction programs and practices in the United States. The book's seven parts are as follows: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Induction's Recent History"; (3) "Major Findings of the Program Survey and Site Visits"; (4) "State-Initiated Induction…

This book examines reform in American education over the past 50 years, analyzing why contemporary voucher plans and charter schools have yet to fulfill the expectations of their advocates. The book discusses: a historical perspective, insight into student achievement, voucher plans and charter schools, and policy recommendations. The eight…

The problems commonly associated with inner-city schools were not nearly as pervasive a century ago, when black children in most northern cities attended school alongside white children. In "Schools Betrayed", her innovative history of race and urban education, Kathryn M. Neckerman tells the story of how and why these schools came to…

Selections in this book, which grew from a seminar at New York University between 1994 and 1996, discuss the recent educational innovations of charter schools, contracting arrangements, and choice that are designed to liberate educators and raise the levels of opportunity for all students. The essays, which focus on the urban experience, explore…

This book presents affirmative strategies to rid schools of discrimination. Many of these strategies were developed as a result of research in four public high schools with large percentages of ethnic and language minority students in the deep south. The study, which consisted of 48 30-90 minute interviews, suggested that there is wide student…

This book chronicles the educational struggle that took place in the city of Newark, New Jersey amidst years of political upheaval and economic neglect, focusing on Project New Beginnings, a 7-year collaboration between the Newark Public Schools and Bank Street College to restructure early childhood education. Organized in three parts, the book…

The story of Alejandro Juarez, Jr., a Mexican American youth, and his family's experiences in the parochial and public schools of Chicago (Illinois) portrays the problems that bilingual and bicultural children and their parents face. A further dimension was added by Alejandro's learning problems, which further complicated an already complex and…

This volume offers the analysis and suggestions for reform of leading educational experts on the topic of education in the inner cities. An introduction provides an overview of the problems of American education and a proposed solution: educational choice. The 12 chapters are as follows: (1) "The Public School Monopoly: America's Berlin…

This book discusses primary education of the poor in the city of Mumbai, India. It focuses on the city of Mumbai itself and the poor who live in it, answering questions such as What makes the city the way it is? What does it mean to be poor in Mumbai? and How does the poverty of the poor in Mumbai affect their chances of receiving a basic…

This book describes one individual's reinvention as an educator, from a liberal humanist to an advocate of critical pedogogy. It examines relationships between schooling, the wider social relations that inform it, and historically constructed needs and competencies that students bring to schools, focusing on the social conditions of disaffected…

Concern about boys' education in Australia and New Zealand led to the Leadership in Boys' Education Conference in May 1999. This book contains edited conference presentations focusing on boys' educational needs. The book also presents case studies related to academic achievement, school structure, discipline and bullying, broadening boys' options,…