ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the increasing roles and responsibilities of the district governments, and district education commissions in particular, in the policy area and the subsequent importance of examining district policy approaches. Policy document analysis shows that the Beijing municipal government has largely omitted support and assistance for migrant schools from its policies, creating a gap between central-level policy ideals and the local reality. The chapter examines the approaches adopted in Shijingshan, Fengtai, and Haidian, primarily from the perspective of the district education commissions. The focus of the Shijingshan Report 2009 towards migrant schools has predominantly been on safety and health regulation, rather than measures directly related to the quality of education. Based on figures in the education commission's "Fengtai District's Work Plan on Guaranteeing Compulsory Education for Migrant Children", it had over 55,100 compulsory school-aged migrant children by 2009. The chapter identifies trajectories that illustrate significant differences among the district-level approaches towards migrant children's education.
