Mergers of city school districts with surrounding ones lead to the dilemma of whether or not to bus children out of their neighborhoods. A review of recent desegregation litigation shows that courts still require the elimination of inequalities, but busing is not mandatory. Alternatives such as magnet schools are encouraged. (VM)

School culture emerges from educational research as the most critical theme for changing secondary schools. Educational problem solving to change school culture must be carried out in individual school buildings rather than at centralized locations. The district offices must aid this site authority with moral support and technical assistance. (VM)

The history of school social work is presented with an emphasis on its value for at risk students in urban schools. These services have maximized equal educational opportunity with both cognitive and affective outcomes. The service works best when the social worker works in collaboration with school personnel. (VM)

Reviews evidence which shows that school desegregation and compensatory programs have paid off in higher academic achievement among minority children. (GC)

Many instructional strategies which characterize small alternative schools in urban areas are applicable to small rural schools as well. Philosophical and organizational assumptions and educational methods used in successful alternative schools are discussed. (PP)

Reviews several ethnographic studies that focused on classroom processes which exclude or discriminate against minority group children. Discusses how an ethnographic approach, which considers the social context of learning, can provide more insight than have studies focusing on academic achievement and environmental determinants. (GC)

Reports on research on peer helping programs and describes a peer tutoring program in three New York City high schools. Results illustrate the importance of youth participation in meaningful roles. Notes that programs in which youth help youth could do many positive things, especially in urban schools. (SLD)

Describes problems associated with assessment and evaluation of problem-solving intervention in inner-city high school. Delineates factors related to assessment concerns. Offers recommendations for training including increased frequency and intensity of sessions, diversifying procedures, encouraging cultural sensitivity in trainers, and working…

Two distinct but related topics, addressed by different authors, are covered in this report. William L. Rutherford's contribution, entitled "School Management, School Development, School Improvement in the United States," reviews the building administrator's role in school improvement within the broader context of educational…

Thirty elementary school principals in a large urban school system were interviewed. They identified a pattern of strategies for identifying, managing, and possibly dismissing, borderline incompetent teachers. (LHW)

This paper stems from a study of an eighth-grade writing club in an urban school. The study asked: How would students use a community-based set of texts to create identities for themselves and each other in relation to their communities, their schooling, and writing and to examine issues of personhood? The paper theorizes about what the notions of…

Describes components critical to effective leadership. Focuses on organizational patterns, such as comparison groups and restructuring; staffing patterns, including admissions and diversity; and budgeting, such as sources of budgets, student affairs, alternative funding sources, and privatizing and outsourcing. Claims that the effective…

The rapid turnover in urban superintendencies reflects changes in big-city school boards that are increasingly characterized as political rather than as public service positions. In addition, the expectation that urban superintendents should find solutions for complex issues and the urban boards' desire for a person of color have resulted in fewer…

Determines inner-city community perspectives on quality education; phrases these findings in the context of beginning teacher language, experience, and thinking; and provides advice for beginning classroom teachers. Study findings reveal a number of practices for successful teacher practice, the problems faced by high school students, and teacher…

This precis provides a model for alliance-building for reading and mathematics and outlines the sequential steps necessary for successfully negotiating articulation between school districts and universities as a single "urban" ecosystem. The term "urban" is referenced in this precis. The definition by Stone (1998) is applied in this regard as…