Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if faculty development, as measured by progression through the Stages of Concern, identified in the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, occurred as a result of teaching in a learning community (LC) cohort at a California community college, and if progression through developmental Stages of Concern is…

In fall 2001, the University of Pennsylvania opened a public elementary school a few blocks away from its West Philadelphia campus. With the opening of this school, Penn joined the list of colleges and universities that have recently gone into the business of operating elementary or secondary schools. In each situation, the university role differs…

This case study discusses how educational entities collaborate in meaningful ways to address teaching force representation and shortages in critical fields for diverse populations in urban education settings. The authors examined how the role of a federally funded program, Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE), at a Hispanic Serving Institution in…

There is an abundance of data that indicate that social inequality contributes to the school failure of African American and other children of color. Despite this finding, educational leadership preparation programs, have not, overwhelmingly embraced a social justice curriculum (Lopez, 2003). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty and…

Tinto, Astin and countless others have researched the retention and attrition of students from college for more than thirty years. However, the six year graduation rate for all first-time full-time freshmen for the 2002 cohort was 57%. This study sought to determine the retention variables that predicted continued enrollment of entering freshmen…

With an increasingly technological and competitive world economy, more jobs require employees to have achieved the advanced skills and knowledge gained only through postsecondary education. The data regarding the supply and demand between the workforce and higher education present a challenge for community college technical programs. These are the…

Using the research question "How do urban teacher candidates (TCs) understand socioeconomic, racial, and cultural diversity in resegregated urban educational contexts," this case study examines the perceptions of preservice K-8 teachers in an urban education program. These TCs complicated diversity by focusing on "unseen" elements that are often…

Through analyses of focus group transcripts, the author highlights key school-based supports and resources students viewed as helpful in their college-planning activities and explores the challenges students' expressed about being exposed to school-based social capital while living in disadvantaged community contexts. The findings suggest the…

The Ed.D. program at the University of Southern California focuses on leadership in urban education. The article describes the rationale and guiding principles for the program and its design in terms of core knowledge, inquiry, signature pedagogy, concentrations, and capstone experiences. The article concludes with an assessment of our…

In this qualitative study, the authors explore the connections between a preservice teacher education curriculum and the development of teacher identity. Focus is given to the impact Ruby Payne's (2001) "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" has on the ideological development of preservice special education teachers embarking on an urban…

Using a social justice orientation to teacher education and a sociocultural approach to learning, this exploratory study presents data from twenty pre-service urban teachers about their perceptions of and visions for teaching in urban schools. Findings reveal candidates' desires to care for and build relationships with urban youth as a foundation…

This study considers the scales previously used by Nora, Kraemer, and Itzen (1997) and Torres (2006) as contributing to the retention of Latino/a college students. T-tests were used to compare the scale means between students with an identified advisor or mentor and those that have not identified one. The data is from Latino college students at…

A larger scale context for power teaching includes ideas from Duane Elgin, Lester Brown, Al Gore and many others. Collectively, they say the convergence of systems level global problems without national borders place before humankind a choice the species has never encountered in 195,000 years of life on "Spaceship Earth." In Elgin's…

Given the current crisis in urban education and the frequent calls for urban school reform, a number of colleges and universities have established teacher education programs designed specifically to prepare teachers for work in urban schools. These urban-focused teacher preparation programs seek to provide pre-service teachers with the knowledge,…

Postsecondary credentials are increasingly important to labor market success. Community colleges provide a key pathway to these credentials for many, including low-income and nontraditional students. Unfortunately, many community college students leave before earning a degree or credential, especially those who enter underprepared for…