A study explored emergent readers' reconstruction of two story text types for evidence of cohesive harmony. Data came from a subset of 12 kindergarten children in 2 classes in an inner-city school. All of the children participated in a storybook reading program in which two types of texts were used: simple, beginning reader text and complex, trade…

In this study, parents' reasons for school choice were explored at four inner-city school sites by means of a questionnaire distributed to parents by their children. The sample for this study consisted of the parents of over 2,300 students who attend the four schools studied. All are inner-city Catholic high schools located in four different…

One of a series on critical issues in vocational-technical education, this paper applies the National Advisory Council on Vocational Education recommendations concerning urban vocational education to a specific inner city school system, the Durham, North Carolina, Public School System, which is seen as a microcosm of our large urban systems. Issue…

A collaborative study examined early childhood teachers' philosophies and practices as they pertained to developmentally appropriate practices and their influence on inner-city early childhood settings. Data were collected by recording conversations among five teachers. Excerpts indicate agreement over interrelated developmental areas, curriculum,…

A study examined the relationship between two variable sets: (1) epistemological beliefs (Quick Learning, Simple-Certain Knowledge, and Innate Ability) and performance goals; and (2) conceptual understanding and application reasoning in conceptual change learning. In addition, effects of different kinds of prior knowledge on conceptual change…

This paper explores the ways in which inner-city students' social, cultural, and political relationships and their thinking and behavior patterns that stem from the range of different situations outside the classroom can shape the classroom roles that they develop with their peers as thinkers and learners of English and writing. It presents a case…

One result of the new culture of violence in the schools, and the corresponding shift in attention and resources away from learning activities and towards new security strategies, is the strong likelihood of a notable drop in student achievement levels. Fallout from the crisis in urban high schools carries over to community colleges and…

If English teachers are going to clean up language and strive toward literacy, they need to stop using phrases that are meaningless, such as "prior knowledge,""dyslexia,""learning disabilities," and "at-risk." The persistent misuse of language moves the United States closer to becoming a remedial nation.…

It is the responsibility of school librarians to provide the specialized assistance necessary to serve inner city children. Although there have been new titles depicting the life of the inner city child, these are not abundant in the library collection. School librarians must understand how children learn to read so that they can provide proper…

Perhaps the most controversial and provocative issue in the discussion of reading failure in inner-city schools has been the relationship between Black English Vernacular (BEV), reading failure, and reading instruction. The debate has focused on the degree to which BEV does or does not interfere with the acquisition of reading/language arts…

This paper concerns the process of developing model urban education programs and is based on the experiences of the state funded Urban Education Pilot Project (UEPP) being carried out in one Cincinnati, Ohio, inner city public high school attendance area. First, key premises used by the UEPP are outlined. These include: (1) principals are the…

This paper examines the management of training programs for educators who are or will be working in inner-city schools. Four common patterns emerge from investigations of the program which have been effective in preparing personnel for inner-city schools. First, the programs featured a sound and explicit theoretical base, an analysis of the…

Reading improvement programs that have focused on additional staff for teaching, tutoring, and counseling; prescriptive, self-paced learning methods; unstructured open-education strategies; and intensive reading have often been successful in small towns and middle sized cities, but none has made a major impact on the reading achievement of…

This research report describes a follow-up study of children from a large urban school district that had widely implemented a pre-kindergarten program. The study examined the critical transition between primary and upper elementary grades for enduring effects of early educational experiences. A sample of 141 children enrolled in 68 urban schools…

A study was done to determine whether or not the attitudes of parents and teachers were related to the academic achievement of their inner-city Memphis (Tennessee) elementary school students. Seventy-one teachers, 49 parents, and 32 fourth-grade students served as participants. Teachers' responses were used to supplement the development of the…