Includes four distinct sections, entitled: institutional fragmentation and policy conference; re-thinking the challenge in teaching; institutions as allies and constraints; and, toward institutional redesign in school governance.

Part 1 Instutional fragmentation and policy conference: Redesigning accountability at the system-wide level: the politics of school reform in Chicago, Kenneth K. Wong, Gail L. Sunderman; Governing Publics schools: the role of formal authority in school improvement, Laurence E. Lynn, Theresa R. Kowalczyk; Developing institutional performance indicators for Chicago schools: conceptual and methodological issues considered, Kenneth K. Wong, Mark H. Moulton. Part 2 Re-thinking the challenge in teaching: The occupational of teaching and educational reform, Robert Dreeben; Changing teacher's roles to improve teaching and learning, Dorothea Anagnostopoulos. Part 3 Institutions as allies and constraints: Reforming Chicago's Public schools: philanthropic persistence, 1887-1993, William S. McKersie; The politics of educational excellence: State education reform in Illinois and Minnesota in the 1980s, Gail L. Sunderman; The Illinois Voter project and the citizens education agenda, Barry Rundquist et al; Systemic reform in school governance: a commentary, Robert L. Crowson. Part 4 Toward institutional redesign in school governance: System-wide governance in Chicago Public schools: a report on the findings and recommendations for institutional redesign, Kenneth K. Wong et al.