A decade of urban school reform : persistence and progress in the Boston Public Schools /

Few schools have been studied as thoroughly as those in Boston, and the recent retirement of long-time superintendent and urban education reformer Dr. Thomas Payzant has resulted in a number of additions to that scholarship. Few of them, however, are as singularly focused on Payzant's influence on the changes in Boston as this volume. Chapters focusing on governance, the development of new school leaders, instructional improvement, the use of data to inform instructional changes, and issues related to educating students with disabilities, among others, provide a comprehensive picture of how the district changed under Payzant's leadership. The book concludes with a chapter coauthored by the esteemed superintendent himself, and provides a nice summary of his approach to the type of systemic change he championed during his tenure. The book is a wonderful historical record of the transformation of a district from dire straits to the winner of the Broad Prize for excellence in urban education. Though hardly a step-by-step prescription for reforming a troubled school, the book does capture the incredible complexity of that work, and provides insights for others in similar circumstances. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty. S. H. Minner Truman State University