New York City Education Reform Retrospective:
A Review and Synthesis of the Children First Initiative, 2002 - 2009

The Children First reforms in New York City’s public schools under the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein are among the most ambitious of any large urban system in the country. The NYC Education Reform Retrospective Project, guided by a panel of distinguished researchers and practitioners, commissioned a set of 11 research-based papers to document and analyze core components of Children First. The papers bring multiple disciplinary lenses and independent analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data to bear on questions of design, implementation, and effects of this initiative. Together they address key dimensions of urban systemic reform, including, among others, issues of governance, accountability, instruction, finance, choice and competition, and student outcomes. This collection is a timely contribution to the field of urban school reform and will serve as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners alike, providing balanced and comprehensive insights into Bloomberg and Klein’s efforts to improve the largest school system in the country.

Authors of the 11 papers presented their findings at an invitational conference of diverse stakeholders in November 2010. The conference included commentary and critique from a wide range of reform participants and stakeholders, as well as opportunities for participants to dialogue with one another and with system leaders. The collection of papers -- along with an overview, cross cutting synthesis, and reflections from varying perspectives -- is now available from Harvard Education Press.

Led by the American Institutes for Research, the NYC Education Reform Retrospective was made possible through the generous support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Robertson Foundation, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.