"Written with passion for its subject but cool in its analysis, "The Color of School Reform" is a much-needed comparative urban study. The authors demonstrate deep knowledge of their four cities, but rather than giving us simply a series of case studies, they organize their findings according to particular types of actors. This analytically more elegant structure facilitates our understanding of how school personnel, community activists, elected officials, and corporate leaders contribute to--or inhibit--the development of civic capacity. The use of theories drawn from a variety of fields makes this book accessible to a wide range of social scientists."--Jennifer Hochschild, Harvard University
"Works on school reform that centralize the race variable are rare. Bringing together an unparalleled data set and a series of face-to-face interviews, "The Color of School Reform" generates new findings, rich insights, a powerful interpretation, and very wise policy recommendations. It is an interesting and intriguing, if not captivating, piece of scholarship."--Hanes Walton, Jr., University of Michigan
