This article examines the establishment and early history of the first Boys' Club for African American boys--the Wissahickon Boys' Club--through the thoughts and actions of its Quaker founder, John Thompson Emlen. The purpose of this article is not only to document the founding of this historic organization but also to describe Emlen's conception…

In 2009, the federal government committed over $3 billion nationwide to help states and districts turn around their worst-performing schools. The U.S. Department of Education intended for the School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to spur dramatic change.This report looks at the results of a field study of the first-year implementation of those grants…

Members of organizations traditionally outside public school systems have begun to take on central, and in some cases internal, leadership roles and responsibilities in the implementation of ambitious educational improvement initiatives. How are these arrangements playing out in practice? This article explores that question with a 3-year…