This essay discusses the federal role in the improvement of educational practice nationally and at the local level, the role and influence of federal or other national program evaluations on local curriculum decisions, and the differences in role perceptions between federal and local school district officials. (CT)

The many different kinds of urban institutions are identified and the state of higher education in urban areas is discussed. The effect of the land-grant colleges movement is described. Three guiding philosophies during the present century about American education are identified: colleges as aristocratic institutions, meritocracy, and…

This document provides a transcript of one of three panels held at a Manhattan Institute conference in June 2006. In this panel, the issue of reconnecting a certain segment of disadvantaged men into the workforce is discussed. John McWhorter explains that the Manhattan Institute has been instrumental in forging the reform of welfare legislation,…

As part of a departmental restructuring to improve the preservice training of teachers through early and frequent field-based experiences, Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) has developed partnerships with both public and private schools in San Antonio (Texas). One of the most successful partnerships has been the development and…

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 reports on a study investigating the issues that most significantly influence urban special education teachers' decisions to leave the field voluntarily or transfer to a different type of educational position. First, it presents the results of post-attrition interviews with 17 special educators who left their positions during or…

The changing demographics of today's urban schools coupled with the corresponding shortage of bilingual teachers to provide an education for language minority students means that monolingual English teachers will have to carry out content area instruction for students with limited English proficiency (LEP) in the foreseeable future. This paper…

Population studies show that teachers of the 21st century will be educating an urban clientele from a great variety of cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, and family structures, and probably, more students who are living in poverty. In view of these projections, a Division of Teacher Education has been implemented at the University of Missouri…

The project described in this paper, called Talking to Literacy Learners or TTALL, was designed to improve the quality of parent child interaction involving reading and writing, to promote gains in literacy standards, and to engender a more positive attitude toward schooling. Designed for an urban community in New South Wales where adult and youth…

Suburban school districts located immediately adjacent to large cities are now facing some of the same problems that larger urban centers have been facing for a long time. Although their problems are similar, there is little cooperation between urban and suburban districts. The critical areas blocking working relationships can be identified in…

Anchoring, a term rooted in the seafaring world, is a useful metaphor for contemplating the role of music in schooling, and particularly for thinking about the implications of including music in the professional development school (PDS) reform movement. In 1999, the College of Education at William Paterson University (Wayne, New Jersey) joined two…

The challenge facing urban colleges and universities must be met by: (1) commitment to excellence; (2) revitalization of liberal arts; (3) outreach programs to ensure basic reading, writing, and quantitative skills among elementary and secondary students; (4) active involvement in the preparation of public school teachers; and (5) the formulation…

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…

A study collected baseline data which measured students' attitudes toward reading in academic and recreational settings; determined if reading attitudes in academic and recreational settings changed over time; and investigated whether difference in attitudes toward reading exist between grades or when students were grouped by sex. Subjects were…

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…