The voices of students of color often are left out of discussions of urban school reform conversations when they should be central to reform efforts. Jonathan Collins suggests looking at democratic reform as an avenue to bring those voices forward. Participatory budgeting, for example, introduces students to the idea that they could decide how…

Societal stories about school do not just reflect our current views and values, they also shape our political preferences and the realities that result from them. In recent decades, stories of the traditional common school and its more collectivist, shared culture have given way to newer stories oriented around competition and choice. Sarah…

To fulfill educational promises such as "every student succeeds," district leaders must embrace an agenda committed to equitable opportunities for students. Doing so requires breaking from managerial norms to identify new ways forward that prioritize historically low-performing schools. Coby Meyers, Lamar Goree, and Keith Burton distill…

About 15% of the nation's high schools produce more than "half of its dropouts" and close to "75% of its minority dropouts." Half of these schools are found primarily in the cities of the North, Midwest, and West. The other half are found throughout the South and Southwest in urban, suburban, and rural areas. If only a very few students were not…

Empirical research on the supply and demand of math and science teachers finds some surprising results. The employment of qualified math and science teachers has more than kept pace with the demand, and most schools find qualified teachers for those positions. However, about a third of public schools--particularly high-poverty, high-minority, and…

The author was startled by the carelessness and selectivity of Robert Slavin's comments, which give his words the ring of a promotional release rather than of intellectual reflection. He agrees that Slavin is accurate in saying that the scores on reading tests at P.S. 65 in the South Bronx improved during a period in which, among a number of other…

Inner-city schools are faced with an expensive task: retrofitting older school buildings with the electrical outlets and wiring necessary to provide students with Internet access. Educators must resolve to raise needed funds, establish and support community-access centers, and develop programs that teach Internet access options. (MLH)

Interviews with 40 students planning to take the General Education Development test disclosed that less than half had been involved with gangs. Most saw urban teachers as powerless, mentioned adverse circumstances and feelings of hopelessness, and viewed the GED program as a rite of passage and achievable goal. (MLH)

Engaging students requires giving them a say in what they learn and how they will learn it. However, in strictly disciplined, rule-bound schools with test-driven curricula, this cannot happen. Edison Schools, Inc., a for-profit Education Management Organization (EMO), and Confluence Academy, an Edison-run school located in one of the most…

The achievement gap, the persistent disparity between the performance of African American and Hispanic students and that of white and Asian American students, is perhaps the most stubborn, perplexing issue confronting American schools today. Closing the gap is widely seen as important not just for the education system but ultimately for the…

Describes a process and a structure that reduced absenteeism in an inner-city school. (DW)

Central Park East school was founded in 1974 in Harlem (NY) as an alternative elementary school within the public inner city school system. In 1984 it had expanded into three elementary alternative schools and added a fourth secondary school. It is considered a progressive school following in the tradition of New York city's private schools. (MD)

Discusses two areas (the socialization of new teachers and curriculum improvement) that might help urban teachers improve educational quality for urban students. Teachers new to urban schools need experienced professionals' help. The cultural deficit curriculum model must yield to a more challenging, meaningful approach. Includes 27 references.…

Based on a two-year study of four elementary schools in a poor, crime-ridden section of Chicago, this article finds the public school an island of relative safety in an ocean of danger. Community-wide approaches are needed to stop lawlessness and fear in innercity schools. Includes seven references. (MLH)

Although the physical separation of school-age children is less common since "Brown v. the Board of Education," the number of students attending racially isolated schools is increasing. Several factors are shaping resistance to true desegregation, including the limitations set by racism, legally mandated change, court focus, demographics, and…