Research indicates that youth, especially those facing injustice, such as youth of Color in urban settings, are essential participants in educational decision-making. However, due to adultism and intersecting forms of oppression, their inclusion is not the norm. Grounded in the concept of adultism and the tradition of storytelling, we address the…

Educational scholars have argued that poverty can hamper student achievement. In this critical discussion paper, we provide a historiography of how urban poverty increased in America over the last 30 years of the 20th century. We contend that educators and educational researchers working in P-12 urban schools should understand how federal urban…

Help Wanted: Innovative, strategic-thinking entrepreneurs to turn around groups of low-performing schools. Competitive benefits, including working in newly formed operating units with charter-like autonomy, access to district's back-office resources and buildings, $3.5 billion federal money, and opportunity to transform schools for hundreds of…

For a variety of reasons described in the paper, improving the performance of urban school districts is more difficult today than it was several decades ago. Yet economic and social changes make performance improvement especially important today. Two quite different bodies of research provide ideas for improving the performance of urban school…

Winners and finalists for the annual Broad Prize for Urban Education have consistently outperformed peer districts serving similar student populations. What makes the difference? These districts consistently demonstrate a learning loop that influences the district's ability to learn, which ultimately influences student opportunities to learn.…

With 55 percent of the 53,400 students on free and reduced lunch programs, a 78 percent mobility rate, and a diverse population, Columbus City Schools (CCS) in Ohio faces the challenges common to other urban districts. In spite of the challenges, CCS has made a long-term commitment to engage students in high-quality physical education and physical…

In "City Schools," Robert Rothman and his colleagues at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University put forward a vision of "smart education systems" that link a highly functioning and effective school district with a comprehensive and accessible web of supports for children, youth, and families. One-third of…

Describes the 10-year-old Washington Urban League-District of Columbia Public Schools program, Operation Rescue, a program of continuing support of the instructional goals of the school system. The project demonstrates that a school-community partnership can bring great talent and resources to local school systems. (JB)

In question and answer form, this document presents information about limited English proficient (LEP) students and programs for them in the New York City (New York) schools. City and state regulations govern the identification of LEP students and their selection for English as a second language (ESL) or bilingual programs. The Board of Education…

This paper describes the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988 (CSRA); outlines work of the Chicago Panel on Public School Policy and Finance; and traces the Chicago School Reform (Illinois) movement, an effort to address more adequately the previously unmet needs of "at-risk" children by creating a systemic opportunity for schools to…

This report describes and evaluates Chapter 1 schoolwide programs in the School District of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) since the reauthorization of that legislation in 1988. A brief description of the history and philosophy of Chapter 1 legislation and of the Philadelphia district opens the document. This district serves a population that is 77…

Describes the Ysleta School District, El Paso (Texas), which has, despite high poverty and a constant inflow of immigrants with limited English skills, the best test scores of any urban district in Texas. In spite of the district's accomplishments, the school board seems determined to oust the current superintendent. (SLD)

Profiles of the 1995-96 implementation of the Stewart B. McKinney Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Programs in 37 states are presented in this document. In these 37 states, at least 173,082 homeless children and youth were served through programs funded by the McKinney Act, and at least 465 local education agencies received…

The overrepresentation of students of color referred for special education in New York City was studied using data taken from the New York City Board of Education for 813 elementary and middle schools and 102 high schools. Analyses were based on Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White students. The racial and ethnic disproportion of special education…

The Kansas state plan for the education of homeless youth and children provides operational strategies to help local school districts and attendance centers facilitate an environment that is conducive to meeting this population's special needs. The plan confronts barriers to homeless children and youth to provide them with public education that is…