High School Career Academies: A Pathway to Education Reform in Urban School Districts? Nan L. Maxwell and Victor Rubin First Chapter | Table of Contents 237 pp. 2000 $40.00 cloth 978-0-88099-214-5 $17.00 paper 978-0-88099-213-8 Maxwell and Rubin examine the capacity of career academies to address academic reform in terms of increased education and workplace skills. They accomplish this on two levels. First, they assess academies' development and implementation within an urban school district. Then they assess academies' potential to promote postsecondary success among academy students as compared to nonacademy students. Their findings will help educators and policymakers better understand the strengths and limitations of this method of reform. "Maxwell and Rubin present a wide array of analyses in a clear and accessible style suitable for policymakers and practitioners. There are some important findings for those interested in these specific reforms. In addition, the high-quality research contained in the book is an excellent example of careful non-experimental evaluation and is highly recommended to readers who seek an example of a balanced, multiple-method study. I recommend [this book] not only as a resource for those interested in improving the nation's schools, but also as a model of how to conduct a competent evaluation." –Dominic Brewer, RAND, in Industrial and Labor Relations Review |