This volume critiques current federal and state education reform initiatives, and addresses a number of important questions: What are the major themes of these initiatives? How are they different from previous reform efforts? What are the political implications of the reform initiatives and the expected impact on schools and communities? The underlying conceptual framework of this book contends that reform efforts must be comprehensive in order to work Entire communities must value and adopt the importance of education. Public policy must serve as a guide to create new and innovative programs and to change the way we think about education.