This new model of teacher unions is organized around issues of quality teaching and professional development, as well as economic fairness. The authors propose strategies for expanding the influence of unions by involving them in the setting of educational standards, evaluating teacher performance, and promoting career security.

The authors have established United Mind Workers web pages that contain portions of the book, research reports, and work in progress as well as links to other labor and teacher reform web pages and links to the authors' electronic mail boxes. For the web...

-I have been waiting for this book for a decade. In an age in which the national debate on school reform is concerned principally with tactics and process, this volume focuses on the most important of all questions. What is the purpose of school? How do we know if a school is working? The authors are the most highly regarded names in education. This is an important book for anyone interested in schooling in America today.-
-- Arthur Levine, president, Teachers College, Columbia University

This essential new resource shows how educators can use existing dollars effectively and productively. The key lies in creating finance systems that give schools greater control over their budgets?allowing more resources to flow directly to teachers and students.

Allan Odden and Carolyn Busch look at inefficiencies in current education spAnding, examine varied approaches to school-based financing, and offer recommAndations for restructuring finance systems to meet ambitious reform goals. In addition, they propose ways to make funding more equitable across districts, outline the...

Full-Service Schools describes the movement to create an array of integrated support services in schools. It examines the declining welfare of many American families and prescribes solutions for the problems of increased sex, drugs, violence, and stress among youth.