Education Reform in New York City

The series of education reforms that began under New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former school chancellor Joel Klein constitutes the most ambitious effort undertaken by any large urban system in the country. Aimed at instituting evidence-based practices to produce both higher and more equitable outcomes for all students, these policies represent an attempt at organizational improvement and systemic learning unparalleled in U.S. public education. The tremendous scope of the reforms, the multiple and interrelated challenges involved in their implementation, and their undeniable impact all underscore their importance in providing lessons for the field and in framing the conversation about the next level of work in district-based reform. In Education Reform in New York City, leading scholars document and analyze particular components of the Children First reforms, and examine the tensions and tradeoffs that played out as these reforms were implemented. Together, these thoughtful and thoroughly researched analyses promise to inform improvement in other urban systems and add to our understanding of systemic learning in education. "An extraordinary analysis of the New York reform effort: the volume is respectful of the scope and intensity of the Bloomberg-Klein reforms, yet it penetrates the hype. These collected chapters present big city education reform in their true light: as very hard work requiring years of sustained effort. If you want feel-good fairy tales about Gotham, read elsewhere. If you want compassionate truth, read this book." -- Charles Taylor Kerchner, professor, Claremont Graduate University and author of Learning from L.A.: Institutional Change in American Public Education "Education Reform in New York City provides clear and comprehensive analyses of an extremely complex set of very high-profile reforms. It also provides a template for analyzing multipart, interrelated efforts that escape easy characterization and appraisal. The authors have done a splendid job of bringing clarity to a complicated story." -- Susan H. Fuhrman, president, Teachers College, Columbia University "This is an important book. Its breadth does justice to the ambition and complexity of New York City's Children First reforms, as seen through the perspectives of both critics and advocates. Let the debates continue and enrich other communities wrestling with the challenge of turning around urban schools." -- Andrés A. Alonso, CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools "This outstanding volume provides a highly engaging and thorough look at a critical era in New York City's public schools. The authors clearly articulate distinct approaches to systemic reform while highlighting the interconnections between them. Education Reform in New York City offers insights applicable to reform efforts all over the country." -- Ellen Moir, CEO, New Teacher Center Jennifer A. O'Day is a managing research scientist at the American Institutes for Research and director of the New York City Education Reform Retrospective project. Catherine S. Bitter is a senior research analyst at the American Institutes for Research. Louis M. Gomez is the Helen P. Faison Professor of Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh.