Two aging structures were replaced by Central High School in an Indiana steel town. Planning, board and administrator support, and community involvement eased negative attitudes toward the high school closures and resulted in a $36 million school that has unified the city and will serve it for over 50 years. (MLF)

Survey results are presented from 65 parents, students over 12 years, teachers, and other school employees using 39 different schools about environmental conditions in New York City public schools. It shows the results of years of neglect of infrastructure for children and reveals disturbing new information about the environmental health of school…

Developed for work in mental health agencies, cultural proficiency is a relatively new approach to diversity that can be applied in educational and community settings. Cultural proficiency refers to the policies and practices of a school or the behaviors of a person that enable the school or person to interact effectively in a culturally diverse…

Birmingham, like many cities, is losing its White middle class and is pressed to provide services for those who remain. The city's survival will depend on meeting specific educational goals. The mayor would welcome a Democratic president whose policies would focus on cities. (DM)

Reviews the Schools Reaching Out programs in New York City and Roxbury (MA). Describes and recommends three successful aspects of these programs: the parent center within the schools, home visits by teachers, and teacher action research teams. (DM)

A study identified and compared the self-reported social, emotional, financial, and health problems of nontraditional, urban commuting college freshmen to determine their impact on academic success or failure. No significant correlations with achievement were found. Other findings included a greater number of emotional and health problems reported…

The author began her career as a classroom teacher, and for the last 20 years has focused on improving teaching and learning in urban school districts. Now, as a principal of the Connections Academy virtual K-8 public schools in Colorado, her day may look different from that of a traditional school principal, but there are actually a lot of…

The Model Science Lab, a constructivist approach to teaching, strengthens urban science teachers' teaching practice. The retention rate of Houston science teachers who took part in the program was found to be very high and the cost of the Model Science Lab has proven less expensive per student than most other professional development options.

The educators in the teacher inquiry group examine how to teach for social justice and support the development of student-empowering social justice themes in teachers' practice. A better understanding of effective urban teachers' philosophies and practices and putting a system in place to support the professional growth of all teachers are the two…

Providing students with time to read during school has been questioned by researchers and practitioners. This article reports on the efforts of one school to resuscitate a schoolwide initiative to provide students the opportunity to read. A single comment made by a student led to committee work and significant policy changes. A chronicle of events…

In this article, the author explores some of the issues about schools and communities, suggesting that schools need to be more strongly connected to their communities and, for this to happen, more systematic ways need to be developed of understanding the nature and complexity of those communities (which are often diverse and changing rapidly,…

As of October 2007, 54 interdistrict magnet schools enrolling 18,928 students were operating in Connecticut. The bulk of these schools are located in the Hartford and New Haven areas--21 in the Hartford area and 17 in the New Haven area. Interdistrict magnets also serve significant numbers of students in the Waterbury region. In keeping with the…

This report provides information on the number and percentage of students retained in grade during the 1982-83 school term in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Data were analyzed from reports filed by all principals and from the LAUSD Racial and Ethnic Survey, Fall 1982. Children's centers, adult schools, occupational centers, and…

This report provides information on the number and percentage of students retained in grade during the 1983-84 school term in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Data were analyzed from reports filed by all principals and from the LAUSD Racial and Ethnic Survey, Fall 1983. Children's centers, adult schools, occupational centers, and…

This guide is designed to help art education providers develop sustained arts education partnerships in the New York City schools. Although the manual is written primarily for cultural and community organizations, it contains much useful information for school-based educators. In contrast to a service provider model, a partnership model requires…