ABSTRACT
Since the 1950s, federal and local governments in the United States have used several approaches to increase the academic productivity of schools and the diverse populations served by the nation’s schools. Most of these initiatives have been directed at improving the functioning of schools and at uncoupling the characteristics of children from the effectiveness of schooling, and little progress has been made in reducing those differentials in achievement. We argue that the continuing emphasis on school reform should not be the treatment of choice.
