This book, which is designed primarily for undergraduate and graduate students of education, contains 12 papers devoted the New Labour's policies for schools in the United Kingdom. "Introduction" (Jim Docking) presents an overview of the book's contents and lists questions to help evaluate the effectiveness of New Labour's educational policies. "What Is the Problem?" (Jim Docking) examines the background to the standards debate and the government's rationale for increasing investment in education and intervention to raise standards. "What Is the Solution? An Overview of National Policies for Schools, 1979-99" (Jim Docking) recaps successive governments' policies to raise standards. "Target Setting, Inspection and Assessment" (Derek Shaw) explains how standards are monitored and considers problems of benchmarking. "Curriculum Initiatives" (Jim Docking) reviews national programs to raise standards in literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology. "The Revised National Curriculum" (Jim Docking) traces the curriculum's development. "Early Years Education" (Peter Jackson) explores issues and developments in early years education. "Special Educational Needs and Inclusion" (Ron Letch) discusses the drive to place more special needs children in mainstream schools. "14-19 and Lifelong Learning" (Roger Marples) examines the complexities of provision for learners aged 14-19 and the policy to improve provisions for of lifelong learning. "The Teaching Profession" (Graham Welch, Pat Mahony) looks at policies for reforming the teaching profession. "The Role of Local Education Authorities" (Ron Letch) focuses on the changing role of local education authorities. "Choice, Diversity and Partnerships" (Peter Jackson) outlines New Labour's policies regarding choice, diversity, and development of partnerships. "Disengagement, Truancy and Exclusion" (Jane Lovey) is devoted to New Labour's policies to arrest pupil disengagement and reduce the incidence of truancy and exclusion. All papers contain substantial bibliographies. (MN)