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Because of an apparent breakdown in the long standing consensus about goals and objectives of higher edu cation, any changes in policies and procedures are likely to be relatively short-lived at best. New goals and objectives may, indeed, lead to new processes for change, but as long as we continue to utilize the traditional, collegial process of decision- making, we should recognize and try to correct certain critical weaknesses in that process. Much more explicit attention must be given to creating awareness of the need for change. An extensive series of policy changes may well involve change in basic educational principles, and however difficult, these changes in principles must be thoroughly discussed and ac cepted. Consideration of a series of policy changes in the collegial setting is a political process, and as such it must be managed if it is to be fruitful. This requires leadership, and leadership is much more likely to be present in decision-making units that are neither very large nor very diverse in terms of goals and objectives.

This article provides an overview of educational reform efforts that have been targeted toward assisting homeless students. The authors first review some of the difficulties and barriers that confront homeless children in terms of school access and academic success. The authors then examine four different types of educational reforms for homeless students—mainstreamed schools, supplemental supports, transitional schools (separate schools), and modified comprehensive schools—in relation to the existing barriers for homeless students. Using a case study approach, the authors briefly describe the first modified comprehensive school in the nation and the programs that are being implemented at the school. This article concludes that school reforms for homeless children need to be tailored to the specific context of the community and not be based on national one-size-fits-all reform policy. Recommendations are provided to assist in the planning of educational programs to enhance the academic success of the homeless student.

This study examines the impact of black school board members on educational policies that affect black students. Using data from 82 of the largest urban school districts in the United States, several measures of second-generation educational discrimination are analyzed. Black membership on the school board is associated with more equitable educational policies; this relationship remains in some cases even with controls for black political and economic resources. The implications of these findings for the study of representation are then discussed.