Brookings Papers On Education Policy 1999

Contains the edited versions of the papers and comments that were presented at the second Brookings annual conference on education policy, held on May 18-19, 1998.

This second annual issue of the series focuses on the state of urban education in America. It provides in-depth, jargon-free analysis of the most important issues in education today—from some of the country's leading experts. Edited by Diane Ravitch, one of the nation's foremost education authorities, Brookings Papers on Education Policy is an indispensable guide to understanding education trends and emerging issues. Contents include: "History of Urban Education in this Century" by Jeffrey Mirel, Emory University "School Reform in Chicago" by Anthony Bryk, University of Chicago "Lessons from Houston" by Donald McAdams, Houston Independent School Board "Problems of Managing a Big-City School System" by Stanley Litow, IBM Corporation "Single-Sex Schooling: Law, Policy, and Research" by Rosemary C. Salomone, St. John's University School of Law "How Litigation Has Undermined Schools" by Abigail Thernstrom, Manhattan Institute/Massachusetts Board of Education "Creating Successful Urban Schools" by James Comer, Yale Child Study Center "Voucher Experiments" by Paul Peterson, Harvard University "Proposed Reforms of Governance" by Paul Hill, University of Washington

Published annually, Brookings Papers on Education Policy (BPEP) analyzes policies intended to improve student performance. In each volume, some of the best-informed analysts in various disciplines review the current situation in education and consider programs for reform. In this fourth annual issue of the series, prominent educators and other social scientists discuss standards in education. Contents include: "Incentives and Equity under Standards-Based Reform" Julian R. Betts and Robert M. Costrell "Why Business Backs Education Standards" Milton Goldberg and Susan Traiman "State Academic Standards" Chester Finn Jr. and Marci Kanstoroom "Searching for Indirect Evidence for the Effects of Statewide Reforms" David Grissmer and Ann Flanagan "The Controversy over the National Assessment Governing Board Standards" Mark Reckase "The Role of End-of-Course Exams and Minimum Competency Exams in Standards-Based Reforms" John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop, and Joan Moriarty "A Diagnostic Analysis of Black-White GPA Disparities in Shaker Heights, Ohio" Ronald F. Ferguson

In this third annual issue of the series, prominent economists, educators, and other social scientists analyze the importance of standards in education and review some of the major controversies that have arisen in the past decade on the problems of shaping and implementing standards. Edited by Diane Ravitch, one of the nation's foremost education authorities, Brookings Papers on Education Policy is an indispensable guide to understanding education trends and emerging issues. The year 2000 issue is scheduled to include essays by Gary Chapman of the University of Texas, George Farkas and L. Shane Hall of the University of Texas at Dallas, Paul Hill of the University of Washington, Christine Rossell of Boston University, Robert Schwartz and Marian Robinson of ACHIEVE and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Larry Sherman of the University of Maryland, and Maris Vinovskis of the University of Michigan.

Contents include: •Test-Based Accountability: The Promise and the Perils Tom Loveless (Brookings) • Can the Federal Government Improve Education Research? Brian Jacob (Harvard University) and Jens Ludwig (Georgetown University ) •Realizing the Promise of Brand-Name Schools Steven F.Wilson (Harvard University) • School Choice: How an Abstract Idea Became a Political Reality Joseph P. Viteritti (Hunter College, CUNY) • Education Reform and Content: The Long View E.D. Hirsch Jr. (Core Knowledge Foundation) • Evidence-Based Reading Policy in the United States: How Scientific Research Informs Instructional Practices Reid Lyon and Vinita Chhabra (National Institutes of Health) and Sally E. Shaywitz and Bennett A. Shaywitz (Yale University)

Published annually, Brookings Papers on Education Policy (BPEP) analyzes policies intended to improve student performance. In each volume, some of the best-informed analysts in various disciplines review the current situation in education and consider programs for reform. In this fifth annual issue of the series, prominent educators and other social scientists discuss accountability and its consequences for students. Contents include: ¡°Grade Retention and Social Promotion in Texas, 1994-99¡± A. Gary Dworkin, Jon Lorence, Laurence Toenjes, and Antwanette Hill (University of Houston) ¡°Reform, Resistance... Retreat? The Predictable Policies of Accountability in Virginia¡± Frederick Hess (University of Virginia) ¡°School Accountability in California: An Early Evaluation¡± Julian Betts (UC San Diego and Public Policy Institute of California) and Anne Danenberg (Public Policy Institute of California) ¡°Standards and Accountability in Washington State¡± (Paul Hill and Robin Lake (University of Washington) ¡°Volatility in School Test Scores: Implications for Test-Based Accountability Systems¡± Tom Kane (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University) and Douglas O Staiger (Dartmouth College) ¡°Building a High-Quality Assessment Program: The Philadelphia Example¡± Andy Porter (Wisconsin Center for Education and Research) and Mitchell Chester (Philadelphia School System) ¡°Accountability in Chicago¡± Alfred Hess (Northwestern University)

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