The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) has generated controversy and support since its inception. Parents, teachers, researchers, authors, advocates, protesters, and politicians have shared views and opinions based on "political" beliefs, biases, and anecdotal and research-based evidence that supports their stance. In attempt to…

Beginning teachers continue to exit the classroom in alarming numbers, despite numerous recruitment and retention strategies. High teacher turnover rates result in a deficit of quality teachers and instruction; a loss of continuity and commitment; and time, attention, and funds devoted to recruitment versus support. The purpose of this empirical…

Reviews "Discipline and Learning in Chicago Schools" by Frederick C. Lunenburg, a study of nine public and Catholic secondary schools in Chicago that focused on pupil control ideologies and styles. (TE)

This paper analyses the experience of so-called "failing schools" in order to develop understandings that can inform improvement efforts. It reports on a study of the experiences of a small number of English primary schools placed in "special measures" as a result of being inspected. The study is unusual in that, in the past,…

In the past decade, school districts around the country have sought to improve struggling urban high schools, where high dropout rates, poor student achievement, and low rates of graduation and college-going remain all too prevalent. In a field crowded with reform initiatives, Project Graduation Really Achieves Dreams (GRAD) stands out as…

Four years after the enactment of the "No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)," the revolutionary changes to the education system called for by President Bush are almost implemented. States have put in place rigorous new accountability systems and will implement reading and math assessments covering all students in grades 3-8 by the end of the…

In this essay, I examine the underlying assumptions of one secondary English teacher, Sara, who professes to teach for social justice, in an urban school. My primary concern arises from a need to clarify what it means to teach for social justice in specific locations, and to look closely at what assumptions teachers have as they teach secondary…

Many urban school district students are dropping out and few of the remaining ones reach state or district achievement goals. These problems make governing urban schools both difficult and important. In 2005-06, the governance structure of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was examined, debated, criticized, and praised by several…

This "IssueTrak" addresses the condition of urban school facilities as a matter of great urgency. Facility planners, are committed to working with urban school districts to develop and implement a systematic approach for modernizing aging urban school facilities. The next generation of school children is far too important and valuable to be forced…

Summarizes findings of diverse multi-year studies conducted by the Systemic and Policy Research team of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk. Results of 16 projects and more than 300 case studies suggest that efforts to implement diverse reforms are more likely to succeed when educators at different levels share…

The characteristics of expert knowledge--interconnectedness, understanding, and ability to transfer--are inextricably linked, a point that is critically important for educators and constitutes a major theme of this paper. This paper explores how an analysis of the architecture of expert knowledge can inform the development of assessments to help…

This booklet examines issues related to time in education. After describing the increasing number of roles teachers play in their schools and their lack of time to do everything, the booklet explains that in order to achieve improved student outcomes, teachers need time to do their work. Teaching requires time for professional development,…

The principal investigators of this study were asked by a midwestern urban high school to assist in the analysis of data collected on students who had dropped out of high school. The data were to be reviewed to determine the cause of the high school's dropout rate. Variables investigated included attendance, grade point average, fourth grade…

A review of the research on school choice programs at city, state, and national levels indicates that choice schools support parents' involvement in their children's studies, encourage parents' participation in meaningful school activities, and engender greater satisfaction. Choice schools do so to a significantly greater degree than do…

This review of the literature on parental involvement in urban schools is organized into three sections: (1) types of parental involvement; (2) practical involvement activities found in successful urban school programs; and (3) characteristics of successful urban school parental involvement programs. The research reports and surveys reviewed…