Teachers are leaders when they function in professional learning communities to affect student learning, contribute to school improvement, inspire excellence in practice, and empower stakeholders to participate in educational improvement. From an equity perspective, teachers also lead when they serve as change agents who collaborate to use…

This article discusses the relevance of four dimensions of urban teaching: foci on relationships and shared authority, linking classroom content with student experience, incorporation of familiar and culturally compatible communication patterns, and development of counter narratives that challenge stereotypical conceptions of at-risk students and…

The College of Teacher Education and Leadership (CTEL) at Arizona State University (ASU) embraced the opportunity to partner with Teach For America (TFA) to tailor existing teacher preparation programs to meet the unique needs of alternatively certified teachers in urban schools. Rather than harp on the distinctions between ideologies and…

This article presents a new notion of teacher "quality" and defines the progressive outcomes upon which urban teacher preparation might be founded. The paper includes a description of the masters licensure program with which the authors are involved and the program's portfolio system that assesses future urban teachers' integration of this social…

The word "attitude" has different meanings. While some educators wish their students had less attitude, others are looking for ways to help students develop the kind of questioning, critical attitude that will allow them to interrogate and rethink what they already know or take for granted. This article describes a teacher education program that…

This paper focuses on the challenges faced by faculty in the urban teacher preparation programs, particularly in the area of technology integration by pre-service and in-service teachers in their classroom instruction. The paper discusses the issues of first-order barriers (access to technology, infrastructure support) and second-order barriers…

Describes ways that groups and businesses involved in the urban forestry movement educate both the general public and specific audiences. Includes various lessons these groups seek to teach. (MCO)

Contends that the nature of U.S. urban life has created profound challenges for urban schools. Asserts that music educators must examine innovative trends in policy, programming, and curricula to determine how music can contribute to better schools and a better quality of life in urban areas. (CFR)

In 1984 the Urban Mathematics Collaborative (UMC) project was initiated to improve mathematics education in inner-city schools and to identify new models for meeting the ongoing professional needs of teachers. UMCs are located in Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Durham, Pittsburgh, San Diego, St. Louis,…