Hammack has gathered a distinguished group to assess current reform efforts in their sociological and historical context, taking into account the vision of James B. Conanat, the major proponent of the comprehensive high schools. Contributors are: Mary Erina Driscoll, Joseph P. McDonald, Jeannie Oakes, John L. Rury, Roger Shouse, Amy Suart Wells.

This book traces the decline of the public comprehensive high school. New educational markets emphasized school diversity and parental choice rather than social equity through common schooling, and they were criticized for declining standards. The book also considers government education policies and their regional manifestations.

When it comes to motivating people to learn, disadvantaged urban adolescents are usually perceived as a hard sell. Yet, in a recent MetLife survey, 89 percent of the low-income students claimed "I really want to learn" applied to them. What is it about the school environmentâ€"pedagogy, curriculum, climate, organizationâ€"that encourages or discourages engagement in school activities? How do peers, family, and community affect adolescents' attitudes towards learning? Engaging Schools reviews current research on what shapes adolescents' school engagement and motivation to learnâ€"including new findings on students' sense of belongingâ€"and looks at ways these can be used to reform urban high schools. This book discusses what changes hold the greatest promise for increasing students' motivation to learn in these schools. It looks at various approaches to reform through different methods of instruction and assessment, adjustments in school size, vocational teaching, and other key areas. Examples of innovative schools, classrooms, and out-of-school programs that have proved successful in getting high school kids excited about learning are also included.

The Comprehensive School: Guidelines for the Reorganization of Secondary Education focuses on the main issues basic to the reform of secondary education as part of the move toward comprehensivization in schools. These issues concern the less able and the culturally disadvantaged children; the streaming/non-streaming controversy; guidance and counseling; and the curriculum. This book has 10 chapters; the first of which provides an overview of the comprehensive movement in education and the concept of the common school, as well as the effects of reorganization on academic standards. The discussion then turns to the controversy concerning streaming and non-streaming in the comprehensive school; how to educate at the secondary level children who are less able and/or are culturally deprived; and the importance of vocational guidance and counseling. The chapters that follow explore issues associated with the curriculum and general school policy in the light of the school's aims and its function in society; the problem of size of school; and the nature and scope of secondary school curriculum. This book concludes by assessing the relative advantages and disadvantages of different types of reorganized school. Educators and policymakers with an interest in comprehensive education will find this book extremely helpful.

This provocative new study of the American high school examines the historical debates about curriculum policy and also traces changes in the institution itself, as evidenced by what students actually studied. Contrary to conventional accounts, the authors argue that beginning in the 1930s, American high schools shifted from institutions primarily concerned with academic and vocational education to institutions mainly focused on custodial care of adolescents. Claiming that these changes reflected educators' racial, class, and gender biases, the authors offer original suggestions for policy adjustments that may lead to greater educational equality for our ever-growing and ever more diverse population of students.