Urban Education
Learn more about urban schools and districts, including research and polices that affect city schools
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
Student Vouchers Aren't Working. Here's Why
There's a reason school voucher programs get less effective as they're scaled up, write two researchers.
School & District Management
Ahead of Board Turnover, Los Angeles Superintendent Gets a Contract Extension
Michelle King, who became superintendent of the Los Angeles district last year, is likely to stay on the job through June 2020.
Equity & Diversity
Federal Judge Delays Mostly White Alabama Town's School Secession Plan
Less than two months after U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala laid out the steps the city of Gardendale must take to split from the more diverse Jefferson County schools, she has decided to delay the order.
Budget & Finance
Chicago Schools Will Open on Time, District Chief Pledges
Chicago schools CEO Forrest Claypool continues to denounce the way that the state of Illinois funds its public schools, arguing that the Chicago school system is being shortchanged on its share of K-12 aid.
School Climate & Safety
Portland, Ore., Voters Approve Record Tax to Fix Lead-Laced, Crumbling Buildings
Nearly all the district's schools have lead levels in the water that exceed federal safety standards. Many of the buildings are also plagued by peeling lead paint, and high concentrations of radon and asbestos.
School Choice & Charters
Charter-Backed Candidates Win Two Seats on Los Angeles School Board
With the new members, the majority of the seven-member school board the country's second-largest school district will be charter supporters, which provides an opportunity to radically reshape the district.
School & District Management
Four Education Leaders Join Chiefs for Change
Tennessee's education commissioner, along with the superintendents in Camden, N.J., Philadelphia, and Louisiana's Recovery School District are the newest members of Chiefs for Change.
School Climate & Safety
To Fix Schools' High Lead Levels, Portland, Ore., District Seeks Tax Increase
All 90 district schools have high lead levels in the water that flows from sinks and drinking fountains. Dozens of buildings are laced with peeling lead paint, radon and asbestos.
School & District Management
Two Big-City Districts Hire Women Superintendents
The school districts in Cincinnati and Oakland, Calif. selected women as their new superintendents, both of them experienced educators with long tenures in their respective districts.
School & District Management
News in Brief
New York City to Expand Preschool to 3-Year-Olds
New York City, which in three years expanded its prekindergarten program to serve all the city's 4-year-olds, now plans to offer a universal program for 3-year-olds—and it expects that the state and the federal government will contribute money to make that happen.
Law & Courts
Detroit Signs Deal to Prevent State Shutdown of Poor-Performing Schools
The schools ranked in the bottom 5 percent academically statewide for at least the last three years. Under the agreement, the schools will remain open at least another three years.
Budget & Finance
Illinois Judge Dismisses Chicago Funding-Discrimination Lawsuit Against the State
The Chicago school district sued Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state board of education alleging that state school funding discriminated against Chicago's largely poor, Hispanic, and black students.
School & District Management
St. Paul, Minn., School District Selects New Superintendent
Joe Gothard, the superintendent of the nearby Burnsville-Egan-Savage school district, has been tapped to run the St. Paul school system.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Closures
While urban schools are disproportionately at risk of being shuttered, rural communities may have a harder time making up for their loss, finds a new study by the Urban Institute.