Suggests some monetary and nonmonetary incentives to keep good teachers in hard-to-staff, inner-city schools. (Author/WD)

Compares "associationist" instructional theory and standards with constructivist instructional theory and standards. Argues that constructivist standards should be used to help create a culture of high quality based on high expectations in urban schools. Provides two examples: Central Park East Secondary School (CPESS) and the Philadelphia's…

Cincinnati (Ohio) Public Schools have exchanged their confrontational approach to contract negotiation for a more collaborative relationship among the teacher union, the school board, and the central office. This article explains how harmony was achieved in a difficult situation. Teachers benefited by gaining access to policy-making opportunities.…

The fragmentation in many children's homes and neighborhoods is reflected in their schools. To reform the nation's urban schools, educators must find ways to take collective responsibility for students' performance over their entire school careers. Reorganization according to feeder-pattern clusters can help teachers from various school levels…

The 1965 Immigration Act has significantly influenced American institutions and agencies. This act, which focused on family reunification and desired occupational skills instead of racial origin, has resulted in a massive increase of immigrant students from Asia and Latin America without increased funding to educate and assimilate them. Reduction…

Chartered in 1990 by a consortium of 14 universities an colleges in the Chicago area, the Teachers Academy for Mathematics and Science aimed to improve the inservice training and professional development of K-8 math and science teachers. The accompanying Comprehensive School Development Process has four phases: readiness, instruction,…

Research tells us we can learn complex tasks most easily if they are taught in "small sequential steps." This column is about the small sequential steps that unlocked the powers of digital photography, of portraiture, and of student creativity. The strategies and ideas described in this article came as a result of working with…

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)

Explores the basic characteristics of the slum school as a social institution, and examines the relevance of sociological categories for institution building in education. (JF)

Argues that the urban educational system best serves its varied clientele and performs its diverse functions if there is substantial power, wisely administered, at both the local school level and at a central place in the school system. (JF)

The problem of student failure has been aggravated by the worsening financial condition of large U.S. cities. The author offers several partial solutions that might help schools combat the problem of dwindling resources. (Author/WD)