This paper describes a strategy to enhance communication competence and self-determination among a group of African-American high school students enrolled in the West Philadelphia High School through the production of a community newspaper. The ethnographic data presented in the paper originates from a 6-month pilot study, beginning with the…

Urban community colleges can be distinguished from other community colleges in terms of their settings, clientele, richness and diversity of staff resources, and importance to the segments of the population who cluster in major national centers of commerce and government. In light of their unique characteristics, these institutions require study…

Strong enrollments in career programs have led many to conclude that occupational training is, and should be, the premier function of a community college--a belief that is supported by the ways in which community colleges are funded. Though strong technical programs are an important part of what urban community colleges offer to their students,…

Based on research using participant and nonparticipant observation in a natural setting, a study examined how teaching practices, classroom conditions, and student differences influenced the design of writing lessons in 14 English classes in five inner city schools. Data were collected from five sources--interviews, writing samples,…

This paper raises awareness of the accomplishments of Catholic schools and discusses the model of quality education Catholic schools represent. First, a picture of American public education as a whole is presented, followed by a description of three areas in which the Catholic schools serve as a model for the reforms happening in American public…

Attitude changes by student teachers resulting from participation in early field-based experiences in an inner-city elementary school were examined. Introductory sophomore-level courses (Introduction to Exceptional Children, Foundations of Educational Thought, and Human Growth and Development) were offered to two groups of students in a…

An exploratory study was conducted to identify the characteristics and behaviors related to effective instruction in an urban community college. The 30 instructors selected for the study taught introductory courses in biology, English, mathematics, or social sciences at the City Colleges of Chicago. All had exceptionally high levels of student…

The role and responsibility of the public schools and teachers are described with special emphasis on urban education. The advances that have been made in dealing with disadvantaged youth as well as the problems remaining are pointed out. Sources and uses of federal aid are discussed, but a warning is issued on the dangers of overdependence on the…

The East Oak Cliff Subdistrict in Dallas has sought to improve its educational program through a commitment to making the pluralistic setting of the urban school an asset. The major goals of the district are to create a school and community climate which affirms education and multicultural experiences; to implement a more effective delivery system…

The Denver Public Schools have initiated programs to improve basic skills and to respond to a court order for school desegregation. On the elementary level, programs include individually Guided Learning and Mastery Learning instructional approaches. The Diagnostic Teaching Center Project seeks to improve the academic and personal performance of…

Teachers who are concerned and committed are especially needed in urban education. Problems and strategies related to the employment and retention of Black teachers are the quality of teacher education majors and the programs, the widespread myth of Black inferiority, the lack of effective communication skills and a positive self-image, and the…

Reading achievement tests have been used to identify deficiencies in inner city, poor readers; however, they often do not provide information about encoding strategies which lead some children to academic success. Immediate memory and visual analytic differences which contribute to the success of skilled readers are isolated in this study using 20…

"Politics" is used in a broad sense to refer to the social, economic, political, and civil forces that impinge on the publicly financed school system. These forces are generated both from outside and inside the educational system. It is the author's view that the big cities and the school systems of most of these cities are in just enough trouble…

The findings in this paper raise questions about the validity of educational assumptions underlying efforts to reform "bureaucratic dysfunctions" in the schools. Although specific reforms are not examined, there is a tenuous connection between bureaucratic organization of schools and the kinds of teacher attitudes toward clients so often cited as…

This paper analyzes the politics of a fund established to support the development of urban children and youth outside of traditional classrooms. It examines the fund's effectiveness in establishing after school programs that provide safety, opportunities to connect with adults, and engagement with communities and evaluates implications for urban…