Frontmatter -- Preface -- Contents -- Summary -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Education Reform in the United States -- 3 The District of Columbia and the Reform Act: Historical Overview -- 4 Responses to PERAA: Initial Implementation -- 5 Student Achievement Under PERAA: First Impressions -- 6 School Quality and Operations Under PERAA: First Impressions -- 7 From Impressions to Evidence: A Program for Evaluation -- Appendix A Public Community Forum Agenda and Summary -- Appendix B Student Achievement and Attainment Indicators Collected by DC and Three Other Districts -- Appendix C Education Data for the District of Columbia -- Appendix D Biographical Sketches of Committee Members.