In the Name of Excellence: The Struggle to Reform the Nation's Schools, Why It's Failing, and What Should Be Done

The crusade for excellence in public education during the past decade is shown in this comprehensive study to be basically two-pronged, advocating schooling for all through high school and raising academic standards. Yet, as Toch, a reporter for U. S. News and World Report , gleans from visits to more than 60 schools nationwide and from his review of research papers, ``educational excellence remains a scarce commodity in the public schools.'' Many factors tend to constrain the reform movement, among them demographic developments, student/teacher alienation and unionism. Toch contends, however, in this thoughtful, provocative analysis, that with reassessment and expansion, the reform movement can meet the expectations it has rightfully raised in a democratic society. (Apr.)