Recognizing the pressing problem of low teacher retention in urban schools, this qualitative study explores how two post-baccalaureate teacher education programs at the same university prepare candidates to persist in the profession. Through data analysis, it became clear that graduates of the Urban Teacher Residency program approached their…

Teacher education programs are increasingly taking up commitments to prepare new teachers for equitable teaching. Despite best intentions, programs feel challenged to help candidates translate these commitments into classroom practice. Using a context-specific teacher education framework, we conducted a mixed-methods study of seven urban-focused…

By exploring how liberalism is at work through a federally driven effort to improve academic achievement in schools serving youth of color and those from low-income communities, this article attempts to advance an understanding of the mechanisms that reify structural inequity in urban schools. Based on both a critical analysis of School…

The purpose of this inquiry is to consider how the U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods (PNs) program can improve persistently low-achieving urban schools by making their "neighborhoods whole again" through community capacity building for education reform. As the "first federal initiative to put education at the…

Describes one urban education program that provides student teachers with firsthand experiences in urban settings and the observations and lessons learned by the participants. Implications for urban teacher-preparation programs conclude the report. (GR)

Describes and evaluates a compensatory education program designed to incorporate the characteristics which successful programs have in common: diagnosis of each student's strengths and weaknesses; small-group instruction; a variety of teaching materials and techniques. (Author/JM)

Interviewed principals, union stewards, and teachers in 17 Dade County (Florida) schools to ascertain the effects of reform and restructuring. Respondents were highly supportive of the county's shared management/shared decision-making program but unclear about its aims. Student achievement and curriculum improvement have not yet been evaluated.…

Compared the strengths and weaknesses of 10 different service learning projects at urban high schools in 1 school district. Students had more positive attitudes when they participated in programs that rated highly on duration, location, amount of personal contact with beneficiaries, and project focus. (SLD)

The effects and educational equity of an innovative year-round school plan, the Concept 6 calendar, were studied in 23 urban elementary schools and 2 matched comparison schools. Examination of a six-school subsample indicated that the schedule had no adverse effects, although positive effects were not readily identifiable. (SLD)

Examines critical features of the QUASAR Project, a mathematics instruction program oriented toward helping students develop a meaningful understanding of mathematical ideas through challenging mathematical tasks, and discusses findings regarding the positive impact it has had on students. Challenges and obstacles in implementing the project are…

Examines the School Development Program of James Comer, first essayed in two predominantly Black New Haven (Connecticut) elementary schools. His theories of school improvement stress stability, autonomy, institutional loyalty, warmth of daily interaction, and other elements present in Black families and communities in prior decades. (DM)

This study of the financial and political dialogue affecting programs introduced as part of desegregation efforts in the St. Louis (Missouri) schools is not as optimistic as some previous studies. The value of programs has been overstated, and showcase integrated schools have been promoted, while many schools remain segregated. (SLD)

Investigated the effects of a year-long project designed to bring learning to the forefront in two urban accelerated schools through "Powerful Learning Partners" (collegial partners for teachers), "Powerful Learning Seminars" (teaching a constructivist approach), and a teacher-constructed checklist for teacher self-evaluation.…

A peer counseling program in a 1,800-student inner-city high school (60 percent Latinos, 35 percent African Americans, and 5 percent others) appears successful when evaluated for the following: student knowledge acquisition; student evaluation of the program; students' impact on school and community through counseling sessions; and impact on the…

Uses ethnographic sources and interviews with 3 university administrators and 14 elementary school teachers in a case-study approach to describe the development of a collaborative partnership between a university and an inner-city public school in southern California. Positive outcomes and deterrents to success are identified. (SLD)