Presents multilevel analyses of a large-scale educational improvement effort conducted in seven urban schools over a two-year period. Consistent high-to-moderate relationships were found between observed level of model implementation and classroom achievement gains in reading. Concludes that major improvement in inner-city schools is possible. (DR)

This paper reports on a study investigating the issues that most significantly influence urban special education teachers' decisions to leave the field voluntarily or transfer to a different type of educational position. First, it presents the results of post-attrition interviews with 17 special educators who left their positions during or…

An urban district hired consulting teachers to assist in the implementation of instructional improvement programs in elementary schools with high proportions of low income, minority students. Two distinct academic programs using mastery learning techniques were offered--one fairly structured and the other highly structured. The consultants oversaw…

A study investigated how schools and teachers attempt to meet the needs of language minority students and to utilize literature as a means to teach English language reading to students while building their English language capacities. Language arts and reading instruction was observed in 12 third- through fifth-grade classrooms in three elementary…

This summary report presents an integration of findings on teachers' perceptions of their working conditions, based on survey and interview data from special educators in six large urban school districts. Emphasis is on perceptions of problems related to job design, the highly interrelated set of structures, systems, and processes intended to…

This paper presents implications of the path analysis procedures used to interpret data from a study of urban special education teachers' perceptions of working conditions. The analysis looked at a broad range of factors that could affect teacher plans to leave the field. An overall finding emerging from the analysis was that the same fundamental…