This paper focuses on the evaluation of programs and policies designed to promote gender equity in schools and to raise awareness in general about gender issues in urban education. It raises the following problems: (1) How to frame and define gender as an important issue in urban education; (2) How to decide where and by what criteria to distribute limited resources to gender-based educational programs in urban communities; and (3) How to assess and evaluate the impact and importance of gender education work both locally and nationally. The paper has two main themes. The first is how such programs are typically assessed, meaning the different tools and criteria that are used to make judgments as to their worth and ultimate "success," or "failure." The second theme addresses the problems inherent in funding programs which are explicitly focused on gender and gender equity in urban education.