Synopsis

'Perhaps the most urgent - and complex - task facing American education today is to figure out how to hold schools accountable for improved academic achievement. In this important new work, Helen Ladd and her colleagues describe the options available to policymakers, weigh their respective strengths and pitfalls, and lay out principles for creating schools where learning is the number one objective.'

Booknews

Contributors from fields including economics, educational policy, and political science look at approaches to school reform in sections on performance-based incentive programs, choice and performance, allocation of funds, and costs of achieving high performance. The essays are from an April 1995 conference. The volume includes information on the experiences of states and school districts, and numerous tables. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)