The Honorable Judge Nathaniel Jones litigated the "Milliken v. Bradley I" case before the U.S. District Court and Supreme Court in 1971 and 1974. Nathaniel Jones was born May 12, 1926 in Youngstown, Ohio, and served as the general counsel for the NAACP from 1969-1979. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated Nathaniel Jones to the U.S.…

In this commentary, we discuss the lessons we learned from case studies of two African American mathematics teachers, thereby endorsing the claim made by the contributors to this special issue that the insights they gained are not restricted to mathematics teaching in nonselective urban schools but can also inform the field more generally. We then…

This Off the Record commentary addresses some of the issues raised by the articles included in this special issue of Teachers College Record. In particular, it explores the relationship of the goals of personalism and academic press in small schools serving urban students.

One of the intractable aspects of the so-called achievement gap between Black and White students lies in our failure to identify viable ways to increase science achievement and participation among African American students living in our inner cities. However, there has been little research that attempts to understand how the social and cultural…

Universities must become more involved in helping society address vital urban issues, and the faculty reward system should be restructured to encourage faculty involvement in urban service. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has made such a commitment, involving faculty in urban outreach, and university officers in clarifying institutional…

Three articles respond to a paper on parent involvement in urban schools. One recommends that schools make teachers responsible for motivating students, with emphasis on classroom instruction. Another presses for pedagogies that engage questions of cultural hegemony. A third emphasizes the importance of constant discussion of the subject. (SM)

Describes development of Milwaukee's Parental Choice Program from an alliance of neoliberal reformers and supporters of inner-city community schools enrolling Black and Latino students. Necessary ingredients included the legacy of independent community schools, frustration of many Black school reformers with Milwaukee Public Schools, and political…

Forty years after "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" mandated equal education for black students, racial discrimination thrives in public schools. Educators must lead the fight for quality education for black students in racially isolated urban schools and for monitoring the educational offerings provided for minority…

Comments on the two preceding articles that examined Chicago's complex school reform efforts. The articles present differing views, with one emphasizing democratic and social issues related to reform and the other highlighting the organization of business leaders into a political force. They also raise questions about power, social movements, and…

Discusses how universities can serve the American city within the context of traditional university values, thus promoting change in a context of extraordinary institutional continuity. The paper examines the value of university-owned and operated public schools, explaining their effectiveness in addressing acute urban problems. (SM)

Describes reform efforts in one urban ghetto school, examining processes and events that illustrate how social manifestations of racial and social class can combine to vitiate reform efforts. Barriers to reform efforts in ghetto schools are detailed. (SM)