The authors analyzed the multimodal presentation of one student in a seventh-grade social studies class situated in an urban charter school in the Northeastern United States. The student researched a specific problem that existed in his community and located solutions using web-based sources. The authors analyzed the student's classwork, focus…

In public discourse in Germany, identity is widely constructed along the juxtaposition of two categories: "German"--defined primordially in ethnic terms--and "migrant" or "of migration background." But most urban schools today consist of a majority of children with such "non-German" backgrounds, while…

This landscape review includes a document and policy review of policies and programs across the City of Richmond, West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), The California Endowment, and other local community organizations. Additionally, the review encompasses: (1) 15 PLUS projects from 2008-2018 for 4 clients: City of Richmond, WCCUSD,…

This article seeks to help teachers design learning experiences that allow students to manage feelings and emotions before they emerge in the form of aggressive behavior. The author's investigation begins by reviewing the findings of theorists who identify linkages between emotional management, the onset of aggression, and the artistic process. He…

Research conducted on youth exposure to violence has generally focused on documenting the prevalence of community violence and its emotional and behavioral implications. However, there is a dearth of information related to the impact of violence on the implementation and evaluation of community and school-based programs. This commentary examines…

In our 2019 annual report, we provide insight into our sponsorship work during the year and the performance of our sponsored schools. We are also pleased to highlight the good work of our colleagues on Fordham's policy and research teams. Our schools' academic performance shows several schools doing very well on Ohio's value added (growth) measure…

The 2017-18 school year saw our sponsorship portfolio grow from 4,100 students in 2016-17 to 4,800 students across five Ohio cities: Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Portsmouth. We're also honored to have been recognized by the National Association for Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) as part of NACSA's Quality Practice Project.…

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's sponsorship annual report highlights our work with eleven schools that served 4,150 students in five Ohio cities during the 2016-17 school year. We value this opportunity to keep stakeholders and the public informed about our efforts, and provide information on each of the schools that we sponsor. Additionally,…

Numerous forms of visual culture have not been addressed as valid content in traditional high school curricula until recently, resulting in missed opportunities for engagement in meaningful learning. To understand better the aesthetic responses of urban adolescents, the author conducted a qualitative case study with the high school students in her…

Studies of when youth classify academic achievement in racial terms have focused on the racial classification of behaviors and individuals. However, institutions--including schools--may also be racially classified. Drawing on a comparative interview study, we examine the school contexts that prompt urban black students to classify schools in…

Evaluators are frequently asked to assess the effectiveness of school programs implemented to improve academic achievement. School connectedness has been shown to be directly related to academic achievement (McNeely, Nonnemaker, & Blum, 2002) and is therefore of interest to evaluators. The construct of school connectedness has been shown to…

The current study examined the curvilinear links between involvement in organized activities (OA) and sport activities specifically and various indicators of psychological and social development. Participants included 150 9th and 10th graders (57% females) from an urban, selective-enrollment high school. Eligibility for admission is based on city…

Rochelle Gutiérrez has spent 15 years researching effective, urban high school mathematics departments that served Black, Latin@ and low-income adolescents (see, e.g., Gutiérrez, 1996, 1999a, 1999b, 2000, 2002). These were schools where students took more mathematics than was required by their district; where English learners, recent immigrants,…

In this article, the author investigates the teaching and writing of poetry within public school spaces, illuminating how the work of poetry in an Academic Interventions classroom stirs new visions of who the students and the teacher can be. The study involves five teachers from a range of rural, urban, and suburban districts. These teachers…

There is a mutual dependence between poverty and academic achievement, creative pedagogies for low-income pupils, school models that "beat the odds", and the resiliency of low-income families dedicated to the academic success of their children. This book examines the connection between poverty and literacy, looking at the potential roles and…