This publication presents findings from a national study conducted by AAC&U researchers to investigate the impact of engagement in high-impact practices on traditionally underserved populations (defined here as first-generation, minority, transfer, and low-income students).The mixed-method analysis includes student-level data on engaged…

This case study describes how the University of Chicago's Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education and its Urban Education Institute partnered with each other and with two charter schools and seven Chicago Public Schools. "Tools" were developed to disseminate knowledge and expertise through "models" that allowed…

In an attempt to address perceived shortcomings in traditional content-area literacy preparation, an interdisciplinary group of teacher education faculty developed an approach called "content-driven literacy" (CDL), which was applied to the design of courses to prepare preservice secondary science and social studies teachers. This article…

There are more than 19,000 nonprofit organizations devoted to supporting public education in the United States. These organizations include booster clubs, parent-teacher groups, public education funds, scholarship funds, high school alumni associations, and others. This report assesses the current status of education support organizations;…

In order to systemically improve student achievement in elementary literacy, a large urban school district partnered with a local university to develop a model for high-quality professional development that hopefully would result in long-term changes in teachers' literacy instructional/practices. Schools were selected based on their Adequate…

There are limited numbers of special education doctoral students from traditionally underrepresented populations. The impact of an urban doctoral preparation program with features to ensure retention to graduation is described. Implications for doctoral program recruitment, retention, and supports are provided. Survey instrument and PowerPoint…

The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a research study that sought to examine and describe prospective principals? attitudes and perceptions regarding current efforts to transform urban education for the betterment of African American Students. Given the current wave of reforms targeted at schools serving large numbers of…

The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) and Georgia State University (GSU) developed a model for induction of new teachers in urban high need schools. A model induction program, developed over the three-year implementation period, includes: (1) The BRIDGE (Building Resources: Induction and Development for Georgia…

This paper discusses the importance of institutionalizing practices that promote equitable outcomes for all students within the vast California Community College (CCC) system. The CCC system, which annually provides educational opportunities for almost three million students, exists at the heart of the state economy and future labor pool. Because…

This monograph contains the instruments designed or modified by the research staff of the Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) during the course of the evaluation research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Because the project was designed to determine the impact of USI reform in four cities and to test the NSF Six-Driver model for…

Telephone interviews were conducted in May-June 2006 with 900 adult residents of the City of Milwaukee, which is contiguous with the Milwaukee public school district. Respondents were representative of the general adult population of the school district with respect to race, gender, education, income and geography. The goal in conducting the…

A study, part of a 5-year investigation (1991-1995) of patterns of implementation of literature-based instruction in schools serving large numbers of children from low-income families, recounts children's literacy experiences as observed in a third-grade classroom in an urban school in upstate New York. The primary goal was to understand the…

Accountability and assessment are critical components to the success of schools today. As leaders of school districts, superintendents in Texas and across the nation are faced daily with meeting this challenge. While doing so, they must remember that their priority commitment is not to testing programs, but to helping children achieve.…

A study compared two groups of children in an urban elementary school who were unready for second grade at the conclusion of first grade. A group of 15 students was retained in first grade while another group of 45 students was promoted to second grade. The California Achievement Test was used to measure the reading ability of both groups at the…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1992-93 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus Public Schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 66 specially trained teachers serving 305 pupils. Data included results of administration of Metropolitan Achievement Tests and Scott Foresman text reading…