In this comparative ethnographic case study, Ethan Chang examines the politics of digital education reform. Drawing on new institutional theory and boundary work, he investigates how two digital technology nonprofit organizations in California drew boundaries to define themselves and ensure their survival in a competitive organizational field. He…

In this essay, Rebecca Zwick confronts the controversy surrounding the use of standardized tests in college admissions. She examines the degree to which the SAT and its lesser known cousin, the ACT, limit access to college, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities, and considers two alternative admissions policies that do not involve tests:…

In this essay, former secretary of education Rod Paige depicts the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) as the culmination of more than half a century of urgent but largely unheeded calls for reform of the nation's public education system. He explains the rationale for the design of NCLB and responds to several criticisms of the legislation, including…

Although No Child Left Behind (NCLB) aims to close the achievement gap that parallels race and class, some of its key provisions are at odds with reforms that are successfully overhauling the large, comprehensive high schools that traditionally have failed students of color and low-income students in urban areas. While small, restructured schools…

What have been some of the high points and disappointments of K-12 education over the past 75 years? How have shifting demographics in terms of race, ethnicity, social class and other differences shaped the educational experiences of various segments of the U.S. population? Sonia Nieto examines these questions, beginning with a discussion of the…

In this article, Nelly Stromquist examines the trajectory of the Comparative and International Education (CIE) field over the past several decades. In this effort, she reviews the major journals in CIE over the many years of their existence and draws from her own professional experience, including five years as the associate editor for the…

Discusses the book of the same title by Christopher Jencks and others. Questions the relationship of resources, opportunities, and outcomes in educational attainment. (DS)

This colloquium presents seven analyses by social scientists of the controversial report, "Public and Private Schools," together with a response by the report's authors, James Coleman, Thomas Hoffer, and Sally Kilgore. (SK)

No definite evidence has demonstrated declining standards resulting from City University of New York's open-admissions policy. Argues that the policy has successfully reduced educational inequities. Basing conclusions on a study of the first three open-admissions classes, examines effects on university's ethnic composition, integration at various…