Mayors in the Middle

Politics, Race, and Mayoral Control of Urban Schools

Häftad, Engelska, 2003

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Desperate to jump-start the reform process in America's urban schools, politicians, scholars, and school advocates are looking increasingly to mayors for leadership. But does a stronger mayoral role represent bold institutional change with real potential to improve big-city schools, or just the latest in the copycat world of school reform du jour? Is it democratic? Why have efforts to put mayors in charge so often generated resistance along racial dividing lines? Public debate and scholarly analysis have shied away from confronting such issues head-on. Mayors in the Middle brings together, for students of education policy and urban politics as well as scholars and school advocates, the most thoughtful and original analyses of the promise and limitations of mayoral takeovers of schools. Reflecting on the experience of six cities--Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Washington, D.C.--ten of the nation's leading experts on education politics tackle the question of whether putting mayors in charge is a step in the right direction. Through the case studies and the wide-ranging essays that follow and build upon them, the contributors--Stefanie Chambers, Jeffrey R.Henig, Kenneth J. Meier, Jeffrey Mirel, Marion Orr, John Portz, Wilbur C. Rich, Dorothy Shipps, and Clarence N. Stone--begin the process of answering questions critical to the future of inner-city children, the prospects for urban revitalization, and the shape of American education in the years to come.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2003-12-14
Mått152 x 235 x 17 mm
Vikt397 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor288
FörlagPrinceton University Press
ISBN9780691115078

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Jeffrey R. Henig is Professor of Political Science and Education at Teachers College and Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. His books include "The Color of School Reform" (Princeton), named by the American Political Science Association in 2000 as the best book published in urban politics, and "Rethinking School Choice" (Princeton). Wilbur C. Rich is Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College. His books include "Black Mayors and School Politics".

Acknowledgments vii List of Contributors ix PART 1 INTRODUCTION Chapter One Mayor-centrism in Context 3 Jeffrey R. Henig and Wilbur C. Rich PART 2 CASE STUDIES Chapter Two Baltimore: The Limits of Mayoral Control 27 Marion Orr Chapter Three Chicago: The National "Model" Reexamined 59 Dorothy Shipps Chapter Four Boston: Agenda Setting and School Reform in a Mayor-centric System 96 John Portz Chapter Five Detroit: "There Is Still a Long Road to Travel, and Success Is Far from Assured." 120 Jeffrey Mirel Chapter Six Cleveland: Takeovers and Makeovers Are Not the Same 159 Wilbur C. Rich and Stefanie Chambers Chapter Seven Washington, D.C.: Race, Issue Definition, and School Board Restructuring 191 Jeffrey R. Henig PART 3 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES Chapter Eight Structure, Politics, and Policy: The Logic of Mayoral Control 221 Kenneth J. Meier Chapter Nine Mayors and the Challenge of Modernization 232 Clarence N. Stone Chapter Ten Concluding Observations: Governance Structure as a Tool, Not a Solution 249 Jeffrey R. Henig and Wilbur C. Rich Index 267

"'Mayors in the Middle' asks and answers the crucial questions education leaders and policymakers need to know about the role and impact of mayors in big cities. Using recent historical cases presented in detail, it demonstrates the very different political and educational trends in each city. Mayors can do some important things to improve education in big cities, but their impact will probably be limited and ephemeral."—Michael W. Kirst, Stanford University