Generally, educational studies do not problematize the definition of urban education or examine the positionality of sites along a spectrum of urban districts and schools. This study addresses the definitional gap by (a) examining the conceptualization of urban education through an integrative review of prior definitional research and (b)…

Although most students with disabilities (SWDs) receive instruction from general education teachers, little empirical work has investigated whether these students have suitable access to high-quality teachers. We explore the differences in teacher quality experienced by SWDs and students without disabilities (non-SWDs) in the Los Angeles Unified…

This commentary suggests that new school design is a fertile policy context for advancing research-practice partnerships. The authors represent four public universities that have created new school designs in partnership with urban school districts. Unlike the laboratory schools of previous generations, these university-partnered public schools…

Disagrees with W. Feinberg's criticism of "The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them." Apart from the faults he finds with the book, Feinberg represents an essentialist kind of pessimism about the ability of public education to ameliorate injustices present in American education. (SLD)

Reviews the book, "Contradictions of School Reform: Educational Costs of Standardized Testing," (Linda M. McNeil, 2000) which explores the effects of state- and school district-imposed accountability measures, including standardized testing, on teachers and students (most of whom are children of color) in an urban setting. The book…

Describes the University of California San Diego's efforts to increase campus diversity by developing school-university partnerships with local low income, urban K-12 schools. Data from fieldnotes, interviews, documents, videotapes, and student focus groups show that this type of collaboration can increase college-going outcomes for…