Urban African American males face complex barriers to learning and achievement. A Washington, D.C., school has designed a ninth-grade program that effectively enhances youngsters' self-concept and allows them to succeed academically. Ninth graders attend most classes in the Annex, a personalized, caring environment that subverts negative aspects…

Reports on the achievement of the first Waldorf public elementary school in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). Early experience indicates that Waldorf pedagogy, with its emphasis on the natural rhythms of everyday life, is an effective model for predominantly African American children in an inner city. (SLD)

This document critically reviews the empirical evidence and theories that have emerged to document and explain ethnic, racial, and class differences in the rate of adolescent involvement in interpersonal violence. In the first section, recent data are presented on the incidence of violence among adolescents in the United States as documented in…

Project EXCEL, developed from a 2-year pilot study, provided college enrichment in reading, writing, and foreign languages for rising sophomores and sophomores in two inner-city high schools. One school had a predominantly black student body; the other had a student body that was 40% black. This study focused on the sources of equality and…

This study examines the larger realities of African-American males and analyses the theoretical contexts of educational practices in alternative education schools and programs for African-American males. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the crises African Americans face and introduces the concepts of black all-male academies and the nature of…

"The Autobiography of Malcolm X" continues to sell and to be read by Americans of all ethnic backgrounds, but for African American youth it has special meaning and can be seen as providing a powerful argument in favor of becoming literate. The selections in this collection explore teaching about Malcolm X and give educators the tools…

The Student Assistance to Further Education (SAFE) Alternative School was designed to provide academic and support services to eligible Houston Independent School District (HISD) (Texas) elementary school students at risk of expulsion. Students are referred to the school by school staff at participating schools or their parents. The program, which…

A study of highly aggressive African American boys sought to understand the effect of an attribution retraining program designed to reduce aggressive males' tendency to attribute hostile intentions to peers following ambiguous, negative interactions. One hundred and one African American aggressive and non-aggressive elementary school boys in Los…

The "Totally Cool, Totally Art Program" (TCTA) was initiated by the Austin (Texas) Parks and Recreation Department in the fall of 1996. Through the TCTA program, visual arts classes were offered to teens twice a week at each of nine recreation centers. At eight of the nine sites, six separate 4-week sessions were held, with three…

The articles in this theme issue focus on urban education. The first essay, "The Changing Urban School" by Rosanne Bacon, notes the challenges of urban schools. As the nation's cities change to reflect a more diverse, multicultural, and multiethnic population, urban schools must meet the needs of a rapidly changing student population. Teachers are…

This book examines the ways in which teachers' ideologies or belief systems about African American students interfere with the goals and aims of school restructuring. By following the progress of school restructuring in two junior high schools in a southern city fictitiously called Riverton, it explores the intersection of the failure of schools…

Prominent Americans were asked to reflect on the diversity challenge facing America's teacher workforce. The following leaders from several fields voiced their support of teachers and their beliefs America needs more diverse and culturally responsive teachers: (1) Mary Hatwood Futrell, President of Education International; (2) Carol Moseley-Braun,…

This book is reissued as part of the Innovators in Education Series, which brings back into print books that are both historically significant and that speak to today's educational concerns. Originally released in 1971, the book presents lessons that still apply to what doesn't work and what could work in the schools. The study of five inner-city…

In British schools, and in the United States, black boys are both the heroes of a street fashion culture that dominates inner cities and students who receive a disproportionate amount of punishment in school. A central thesis of this book is that teachers in elementary and secondary schools cannot escape the wider social perceptions about young…

This study evaluated a Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools summer remedial reading and language mechanics skills program for participants in a job training program. The Summer Academic Skills Enhancement Program provided clients with the skills required for employment into entry-level positions in 160 curriculum hours. Seventy-one clients were…