Contemporary problems in urban education are explored in this collection of papers. The leading article discusses the implications of urban decay and demographic change for school finance and educational accountability. The second paper stresses the need for a basic skills curriculum, well-trained teachers, and the inclusion of parents in curriculum decision making and planning. Subsequent articles focus on the objectives of school improvement programs; government responsibility in urban school reform; the "crisis of confidence" in urban schools; school public relations policies; the importance of community support in improving urban schools; the responsibilities of office and support staff; strategies for motivating students in urban schools; and the effects of negative school environments on urban youth. Other topics discussed include the leadership role of the urban school principal, the political responsibilities of school administrators, and a voluntary desegregation plan for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania public schools. Contributing authors include Scott D. Thomson, Santee Ruffin, Bernard C. Watson, Bernard G. Kelner, Ronald H. Lewis, Mark R. Shedd, Thomas J. Burns, Vincent E. Reed, Larry Ascough, John C. Fareira, Robert L. Schain, Sydney Weiss, Andrew Robinson, Emeral A. Crosby, Robert W. Evans, James E. Hagerty, Barbara J. Love, Byrd L. Jones, Atron A. Gentry, Frank B. Pesci, Sr., and Richard D. Hanusey. (GC)

"All across America, our largest city school districts have been rapidly and dramatically changing. From Chicago to Detroit in the Midwest to Newark and New York in the East, charter schools continue to crop up everywhere while traditional public schools are shuttered. In what remains of public schools, school boards are increasingly bypassed or suspended by state-appointed managers who are often non-local actors and public services are increasingly privatized. This book tells the story of how as early as the 1980s, reform efforts-both state and federal-have essentially transformed Detroit's school system by introducing new education players like Betsy DeVos, who have gradually eclipsed local actors for the control of schools. I argue that Detroit's embittered school wars are fought between two fronts: a dwindling regime of native school leaders and local constituents (i.e., teachers, parents, students, community activists, etc.) against the ascension of new and outside managers. It is a story that captures the greatest school organizational change since the Progressive Era"--