DECEMBER 2001 * VOLUME 83 * NUMBER 4

COVER STORY
TRANSFORMING URBAN EDUCATION
As part of their attempt to redesign their city's troubled downtown high school, educators created a freshman academy to help ninth-graders make a smoother transition from middle school to high school. Holly Holland and Kelly Mazzoli describe this "different kind of school."
294 Where Everybody Knows Your Name, by Holly Holland and Kelly Mazzoli

FEATURES

SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENTS
Lew Allen describes five problems that help cause schools to ignore their guiding statements, and he recommends six ways by which schools can overcome that shortcoming.
289 From Plaques to Practice: How Schools Can Breathe Life into Their Guiding Beliefs, by Lew Allen

TEACHING AS A CAREER
Guided by information from interviews with 50 first- and second-year teachers, the authors conclude that a one-size-fits-all model for teachers' careers is no longer appropriate.
304 The Next Generation of Teachers: Changing Conceptions of a Career in Teaching, by Heather G. Peske, Edward Liu, Susan Moore Johnson, David Kauffman, and Susan M. Kardos

PERFORMANCE PAY FOR TEACHERS
Of all the consequences of the standards movement, pay-by-performance will be the most destructive, Maurice Holt warns.
312 Performance Pay for Teachers: The Standards Movement's Last Stand?, by Maurice Holt

AT ODDS: THE TEXAS ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
318 Let's Treat the Cause, Not the Symptoms: Equity and Accountability in Texas Revisited, by Richard R. Valencia, Angela Valenzuela, Kris Sloan, and Douglas E. Foley
322 Continuing the Conversation on Equity and Accountability: Listening Appreciatively, Responding Responsibly, by James Joseph Scheurich and Linda Skrla

CAREER EDUCATION
Until we begin to view students and teachers as workers and the classroom as a workplace, Kenneth Hoyt points out, career education can never become a top priority for education reform.
327 Career Education and Education Reform: Time for a Rebirth, by Kenneth B. Hoyt

WORLD VIEW
The Reggio experience can raise our awareness about the connection between culture and educational practice in the U.S. -- and that is its most important lesson, according to Margaret Linn.
332 An American Educator Reflects on the Meaning of the Reggio Experience, by Margaret Inman Linn

LEARNING DISABILITIES
The current system for identifying and dealing with learning disabilities reflects, to a large extent, political rather than educational or scientific considerations, Robert Sternberg and Elena Grigorenko point out.
335 Learning Disabilities, Schooling, and Society, by Robert J. Sternberg and Elena L. Grigorenko

DEPARTMENTS

278 THE EDITOR'S PAGE, No Quick and Dirty Fixes
279 WASHINGTON COMMENTARY, Some International Thoughts, by Anne C. Lewis
281 STATELINE, States Wrap Up the Year, by Kathy Christie
283 TECHNOLOGY, Great Gadgets, by Royal Van Horn
285 THOUGHTS ON TEACHING, The Mysterious Spinning Machine, by Bobby Ann Starnes
287 RESEARCH, More on the Essential Profession, by Gerald W. Bracey
339 COURTSIDE, No Pass, No Drive?, by Perry A. Zirkel