School and neighborhood segregation are recognized as pernicious and persistent problems across the United States, originally developed through intentional government policies, and perpetuated today by both public policy and private markets that have adapted to segregated systems of housing, education, and transportation. Housing and school…

A growing body of literature has begun to explore the individual identities, motivations, and school choices of middle-class, typically white, parents who choose to reside in socioeconomically and racially mixed central city neighborhoods. Drawing on qualitative research in three US cities, we argue that a focus on middle-class parents' collective…

This article analyzes the role of STEM initiatives designed by city and corporate elites in a large urban district and outlines an alternative, grassroots vision for (STEM) education and city schools. Within a neoliberal context of gentrification, displacement, disinvestment, and privatization, STEM schools have become strategic components of…

This article provides an example of, and lessons from, teaching and learning critical mathematics in a Chicago public neighborhood high school with a social justice focus. It is based on a qualitative study of my untracked, 12th-grade mathematics class, a full-year enactment of mathematics for social and racial justice. Students were Black and…

This study attempted to determine whether better predictions of school-level achievement scores than have been reported for big city school districts could be attained by determining whether concentrations of poverty and related social characteristics are related to achievement in such a way as to make it possible to identify specific threshold…

Analyzes the standardized test scores of students in the Chicago Public Schools during the 1988-89 school year to determine the relationship between income level and test results. Concludes that student income level, irrespective of racial/ethnic distribution, is the critical factor to be addressed in student assignment policies. (FMW)

When examining school-level funding, the Chicago Panel discovered that schools with at least 90 percent low-income students average $350 less per pupil than schools with more affluent students. To overcome these inequities, the Chicago Panel proposed a finance system based on funding schools rather than school districts. (12 references) (MLH)

This study investigated community organizing for school reform in eight urban sites. The organizing involved intentional building of power among parents, youth, and community residents in low-income communities of color. Researchers surveyed 66 organizing groups and interviewed a subgroup of organizations. Overall, most groups defined their…

This report examines the work of 66 community groups organizing to improve public education in low-performing schools and districts. These largely local, community-based organizations focus on engaging public school parents, low-income families, and students in school improvement efforts. Their goals are to build political power and to challenge…

Describes a partnership between the Erikson Institute and four Chicago public schools that was intended to enhance the effectiveness of urban education of low-income prekindergartners through third graders by means of classes that reflected the principles of developmentally appropriate practice. Discusses results of the project and the…

A practicum was conducted to address the problem of medical exclusion of kindergarteners in a Chicago elementary school serving black, low income children. In order to comply with the state health law, all students entering school for the first time must show evidence of a current physical examination and up-to-date immunizations. Students not in…

After visiting 30 inner-city schools in New York City, Chicago, San Antonio, Ohio, and New Jersey, the acclaimed author of "Death at an Early Age" concludes that public schools remain more separate and unequal than they were 27 years ago. Instead of embracing vouchers for school choice, we should support and fund genuine equality for all…

During the 1995-96 school year, the 387 nonpublic schools of Chicago (Illinois) enrolled 104,636 students, while the 550 public schools had an enrollment of 412,921. One of every five Chicago students attended a nonpublic school. About 10% of Chicago private school students are in schools that cater to the upper and middle class, but the majority,…

New Trier High School in Winnetka (Illinois) and DuSable High School in Chicago illustrate the gross inequities in the state's public education system. Wealthy New Trier is able to spend twice as much per student in an environment that is already advantaged in every respect, from teacher salaries to courses offered. (SLD)