This article is a case study of compensatory education as it was developed and implemented by an innovative urban school principal in the early 1960s. I argue that while the compensatory education movement was often marred by pejorative-sounding language and inegalitarian ideas, especially as it was shaped and expanded by policy makers and…

The inequitable distribution of well-qualified teachers to students in the United States is a longstanding issue. Despite federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind Act and the use of a range of incentives to attract teachers to high-need schools, the problem remains acute in many states. This study examines how and why teacher quality is…

In spring 1987, the Austin School Board approved the current student assignment plan that returned most elementary students to neighborhood schools and created 16 predominantly minority schools with most students from low-income families. A 5-year plan implemented in each of the 16 schools contained the following components: full-day…