In the United States, how to provide a high-quality education to all students has been a focal discussion, especially in urban settings. One potential solution that has emerged to confront this issue involves urban teacher residency (UTR) programs that provide innovations concerning the recruitment, preparation, and retention of teachers in…

The purpose of this case study was to discover the critical attributes of a student achievement program, known as "Think Gold," implemented at one urban comprehensive high school as part of the improvement process. Student achievement on state assessments improved during the period under study. The study draws upon perspectives on…

This article examines teaching practices and pedagogies shown in three Hollywood movies. Although some government reports and the media articles may assert that the quality of teaching in public schools is poor, by contrast mainstream movies of the "urban high school" genre often champion teachers who are able to make a difference in…

Objectives: To outline the prevalence and disparities of breakfast consumption among school-aged urban minority youth, causal pathways through which skipping breakfast adversely affects academic achievement, and proven or promising approaches for schools to increase breakfast consumption. Methods: Literature review. Results: On any given day a…

If students are treated like the fully human beings that they are and facilitate a process wherein they come to realize themselves as integral and empowered members of a living community, then no matter what is being taught, students will respond positively. A composition instructor serving at-risk urban youth in inner-urban Oakland and San…

This report presents findings from a first year evaluation study of Integrated Math and Integrated Science curricular programs as they were implemented at Polk Academy, a high school in the San Francisco Bay area comprised of approximately 90% students of color. To promote scientific literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills, the…

A study examined Chicano/Latino access to advanced placement (AP) high school classes. Data from a large California school district indicate that Latinos are underrepresented in AP classes; schools that serve urban, low-income, Latino/a communities have low AP enrollment; and even when they attend high schools with high AP enrollment, Latinos are…

Our schools are environments of race and class and these school environments structure opportunity based on race and class. This paper explores how students' lives and their access to postsecondary education are framed and structured by the influences of race and class. The college choice decision process of three female Black students from a…

This qualitative study examined the role played by race in the college choice behavior of a group of minority females. It examines the college aspirations and decision making processes of Black female college-bound students and the influences of their parents, friends, college counselors, teachers, and school staff. Subjects were 50 students at 3…