Reforming Schools will transform the study of school reform, development and improvement. It not only provides an overview of research findings, professional and political issues, and policy developments and their history, it also relates such thinking to practice, through a rich and multi-faceted case study of school reform. Particular emphasis is given to urban schooling, with a candid look at what can be learned not only from successful school reforms but also from failure. Throughout the book, readers are guided by questions, points for reflection and hypothetical exercises that facilitate interaction with case study material.