Cuban (education, Stanford University) tells the story of the transformation of two traditional high schools in an urban, low-income district in Colorado, into seven small schools of 400 students or less, in a project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The book chronicles the successes and challenges of the transition, and provides lessons for other districts considering small school reform. Material based on interviews with the superintendent, students, board members, private foundation staff, and state officials highlights the difficulty of school reform as a political process open to many stakeholders. The first chapter overviews the school reform movement since the 1980s, then details how district leaders chose small school models, hired teachers and principals, and restructured district administration. Final chapters look at test scores and other indicators to see if reform is working. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Read Less