The changing demographic face of the nation's cities has placed tremendous burdens on urban schools. No consensus on solving the problems of urban education exists. Successful policy alternatives should be: (1) comprehensive {i.e., deal with urban problems beyond education, such as health status and poverty), (2) supported by adequate resources, (3) universal and targeted (i.e., focused on children), (4) value-based (i.e., promoting the value of education), (5) community-based, and (6) research-based. Policy alternatives that will improve urban education include those that (1) reaffirm programs that work (i.e., Head Start), (2) reallocate resources to students in need (e.g., state equalization), (3) restructure the school workplace (e.g., choice /market alternatives and school restructuring), and (4) relink the schools to society (e.g., accelerated schools). Where the nation will get the political and economic will to improve urban schools and the condition of children in the United States is not now apparent.