It Takes a City Getting Serious about Urban School Reform

by Hill, Paul T.; Campbell, Christine; Harvey, James

• ISBN13: 9780815736394
• ISBN10: 0815736398
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Summary

Mayoral takeovers of big city public education systems are desperation measures. After decades of decline in school quality, something must be done to make sure city children learn enough to function as adults in American society. But how can city leaders make a real difference? This book, a sequel to Fixing Urban Schools (Brookings, 1998), is a practical guide for mayors, civic leaders, school board members, and involved citizens. Based on case studies of city reform initiatives in Boston, Memphis, New York City District #2, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Seattle, the book provides practical guidance on how to formulate a plan bold enough to work and how to deal with political opposition to change. It concludes that mayors and private sector leaders must stay engaged in education reform by creating new public-private institutions to support high quality schools.

Author Biography

Paul T. Hill is a nonresident senior fellow in the Governmental Studies program at the Brookings Institution and a research professor at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington Christine Campbell is a researcher at the University of Washington's Center on Re-Inventing Public Education James Harvey, a Seattle-based consultant, is president of James Harvey and Associates

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The Realities of Urban School Reform	p. 7
Lessons from Six Cities	p. 27
Beneath the Surface: Theories of Action	p. 45
From Wishful Thinking to the Realities of Reform	p. 61
Holding a Strategy in Place	p. 87
Local Politics of Reform	p. 105
Getting Started	p. 119
Case Studies of Six Cities	p. 129
Notes	p. 193
Index	p. 199
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