Reviews four books on urban education, discussing prospective policy solutions to improve its condition. Discusses how the books agree or disagree with emerging policy patterns and perspectives and argues that the solution is not linking urban schools to the suburbs, but rather centering the education policy discussion on urban students,…

This paper highlights four books that examine issues related to public schools: who public schools belong to, why Americans fund public education, and what is public about it. The paper discusses the major themes of the books, noting existence of a general sense that education matters. (SM)