Educators and students in schools across the United States have faced sweeping, unprecedented changes to teaching and learning as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which shuttered school buildings in spring 2020. This Data Note offers teachers' and principals' perspectives on some of those changes and presents their…

Focus group findings from 34 African American parents in an urban southern school district unmask subtle and concealed aspects of involvement. In contrast to formalized school-sponsored parent activities, involvement is described by participants as their encompassing a physical presence at the school to monitor their children's behavior, receiving…

States that central to any efforts to improve urban schools is the relationship between the school managers and the teachers' union. Recommendations include creating learner-centered schools; focusing on improving the knowledge and skills of teachers; negotiating "Living Contracts"; and expanding school choice by making public schools…

This sourcebook is designed to give urban educators new information and strategies for working with parents of elementary school students through grade 6. Its five workshops explore how family life, school programs, teacher practices, and district policies can help build school-family partnerships for learning. Threaded through these workshops are…

Designed to acquaint educators and administrators with the Ford Foundation's Urban Community College Transfer Opportunities Program (UCCTOP), this booklet examines the rationale for and activities and outcomes of the program. First, introductory comments indicate that UCCTOP was designed to help urban community colleges with high minority…

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…

Describes the use of teacher researcher teams in problem solving and evaluation in the David A. Ellis School's Schools Reaching Out project. Provides guidelines for such teams in other schools. (DM)

Suburban high school administrators should attempt to open lines of communication and cooperation between their schools and inner-city high schools. The quality of inner-city high schools has deteriorated in recent decades due to a variety of reasons; however, this does not mean that they should be ignored. There is still much that is worthwhile…

This collection of papers examines the hidden risks that teacher researchers may face in action research. There are 12 papers in three parts. Part 1, "School-Based Researchers," includes: (1) "Drafting Ethical Guidelines for Teacher Research in Schools" (Marian M. Mohr); (2) "'Tuesday Night' Revisited: Learning to Survive" (Leslie Turner Minarik);…

Postulates that the use of competition and directed cooperation to maintain orderly classrooms discriminates against those less able to compete. Suggests the use of group projects to foster cooperation and enhance student discipline and morale. (CJM)

Contends that the nature of U.S. urban life has created profound challenges for urban schools. Asserts that music educators must examine innovative trends in policy, programming, and curricula to determine how music can contribute to better schools and a better quality of life in urban areas. (CFR)

The Urban Mathematics Collaborative (UMC) Project was a 5-year effort to reform mathematics instruction in urban schools by empowering mathematics teachers. Targeting over 3,000 high school mathematics teachers in collaboratives in 11 urban areas, including San Francisco (California), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and New Orleans (Louisiana), the…

This article reports the findings of a descriptive study of collaborative activities undertaken by postsecondary institutions in Cleveland (Ohio) with Cleveland Public Schools. The nature of collaborative activities is described and recommendations for multi-interinstitutional cooperation leading to a common educational agenda are discussed. An…

Industrial change and the restructuring of employment opportunity in the nation's largest cities have created a mismatch between available jobs and the skills of resident workers. The "upskilling" of jobs must be met by the "upschooling" of the labor force through new partnerships among public schools and higher education…

School staff can use information on risk factors to identify student needs and assess the ability of the school to address these needs. It is also important to identify protective factors that promote successful development or buffer risk factors that might otherwise compromise development. Three key factors that have been identified as fostering…