There has long been a troubling divide between education policy and practice. Meaningful school reform efforts have suffered as a consequence. Policymakers often propose educational reforms that fail to take into account real schools, teachers, and students. Practitioners in turn often fail to see beyond their immediate challenges to the larger issues that preoccupy policymakers. Education Policy and Practice aims to promote more effective school reform by illuminating important connections between education policy and teaching and learning practice. The contributors to this collection focus on how to meet the needs of teachers and the students they serve, providing insights that will be of great value to the key players in the field of education. The book places special emphasis on teaching in urban settings and on improving teacher-student interactions in the classroom. The book addresses a number of pressing issues: how race, culture, power, and language affect actual classrooms and pedagogies; the social processes and school structures that can either hinder or support student learning; and the extent to which teachers have-or should have-control over their day-to-day instructional practices and decisions about their students.