This article represents a conversation between two urban educators--one African American and one White. Not only the influence of race, but also the influence of personal and cultural histories on urban classrooms and colleges, unfold during their conversation. Providing important insights into the nature and significance of the work of urban…

Calls for a new urbanism in composition studies. Attempts to reconfigure the landscape of the writing classroom around the very notion of landscape, to reposition the architectonics of college writing more strictly according to architecture. (RS)

Traces the uses of the "urban mission" trope both nationally and locally as it pertains to the history of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Educational Assistance Program. Maintains that educational histories are important because they explain how political dynamics determine who will be basic writers and how many will appear…

Asserts that many composition instructors design courses around theories driven by two narratives of progress: solitary struggle; or earning placement by the dominant social order through passivity. Argues that these approaches are counterproductive and alienate the underclass, ensuring high failure rates at urban colleges and sending students…

This article addresses criticisms that U.S. colleges and universities have lost their moral and civic purposes. It suggests that a major problem is the fragmentation resulting from higher education's organization into departments. A University of Pennsylvania project to revitalize an urban Philadelphia neighborhood is described as an example of…

Describes the pros and cons of operating a community literacy center. Provides experiential information concerning one such center on Pittsburgh's north side, the Community Literacy Center, including its historical and theoretical context. Defines community literacy and describes its functions and goals. (HB)

Teacher educators can become more active in urban schooling by: (1) recognizing that recent historical events have changed the forms of urban schooling; (2) accepting the basic differences in ideology between people in urban schools and those in colleges of education; and (3) reorganizing the priorities of teacher education programs. (JN)

Federally proposed educational reform recommendations such as those in "America 2000" are examined for their impact on urban special education. Areas discussed include curriculum reforms, preschool education for at-risk youth, graduation rates, national achievement testing, drug-free environment, parental choice of schools, alternative…

Zeichner, a teacher educator specializing in multicultural and moral education, discusses his educational background and his continuous efforts to raise the issues of equity and social justice to students preparing to become teachers. He explains the importance of reflective teaching and action research which emphasize respect for the teacher.…

Defining "community literacy" as literate acts that could yoke community action with intercultural education, strategic thinking and problem solving, and with observation-based research and theory building, this paper articulates this "generative and tension-filled" vision of community literacy. The paper begins by examining…

Describes the Liberal Arts Studies (LAS) Program at Medgar Evers College (New York), which successfully merges basic skills and liberal arts education. Each LAS course is considered part of the foundation for a specific professional studies program, while providing knowledge and abilities that contribute to lifelong learning. (DMM)

Articulation in higher education must be developed to take into account the expansion in global education and the increasing movement of college and university students between institutions and between countries. Policy must be comprehensively formulated to be fair to students, faculty, and institutions. (MSE)

The many different kinds of urban institutions are identified and the state of higher education in urban areas is discussed. The effect of the land-grant colleges movement is described. Three guiding philosophies during the present century about American education are identified: colleges as aristocratic institutions, meritocracy, and…

This paper discusses the needs of urban students highly heterogeneous in terms of language, culture, and disability characteristics. Implications are drawn for instruction, for prevention of inappropriate placement in special education, and for teacher preparation. (Author/DB)

This report evaluates the Urban University Program (UUP), designed to improve urban outreach activities at eight Ohio Universities: Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Ohio State University, University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Wright State University, and Youngstown State University. The UUP provides…