Policy and Reform Issues in Urban Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on selected policy and reform initiatives (i.e., choice, charter schools and high state testing) that impact upon students and schools in urban communities. In this context, the presenters look at the historical and evolving nature of urban education, while simultaneously charting an all-important direction for future work and needs. Specifically, the presenters address the following questions.

• How do historical movements and policies influence urban schools and urban education?
• What do we know about the benefits and evolving nature of school choice and other reform efforts in urban schools?
• How do policy and reform shape discourse and practice in urban education and urban schools?

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Focus on Black Education

Chair

• Kofi Lomotey, Western Carolina University

Papers

• Race, Research, and Urban Education - Gloria J. Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• The Evolving Landscape of School Choice in the United States - Mark Berends, University of Notre Dame

• School Reform and School Choice - Adrienne D. Dixson, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign; Camika Royal, Loyola University Maryland; Kevin Lawrence Henry, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Charter Schools and Urban Education Reform - Thandeka K. Chapman, University of California - San Diego

• High-Stake Reforms and Urban Education - Julian Vasquez Heilig, California State University - Sacramento; Muhammad Khalifa, Michigan State University; Linda C. Tillman, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill