Hearings before the House of Representatives served as a public forum for representatives from the District of Columbia City Council, academia, local schools including the City of Baltimore, Maryland, and the private sector to share their experiences, successes, and concerns about the education of children in urban areas. The chairman of the subcommittee, Peter Hoekstra, Michigan, presided. The speakers described the problems of urban schools and some potential solutions, including the school-within-a-school arrangement, charter schools, public-private partnerships, school vouchers, age-appropriate health and sexuality education in urban schools, "mission" schools, and private management of public schools. The document contains statements, prepared statements, letters, and supplemental materials. (LMI)