Studied perspectives of 192 principals and 148 teachers in urban schools with regard to the challenges of urban teaching. Findings suggest that many of the challenge areas suggested in the literature on urban teachers were not ranked as very important by these educators, making the point that not all urban schools face the same challenges. (SLD)

Analyzes teacher beliefs concerning academically at risk students in inner urban schools. Categorizes teacher beliefs on the following two dimensions: (1) whether teachers believe some type of instructional assistance could improve achievement or whether they ignore low performance; and (2) whether teachers assume the responsibility for improving…

Examines the low level of teacher morale at inner city schools and finds "ethical" stressors such as racial tension among faculty, falsifying of school records, and sexual harassment by school officials emerging as factors contributing to teacher exit and absenteeism. (AOS)

Compared student-teacher perception of discipline and examined how ethnicity, achievement, gender, and position influenced practices. Data from 16 urban high school students and 9 teachers indicated that interpersonal conflicts were more consequential for students of color. Evidence surfaced of disparate perceptions among ethnically diverse…

Quantitatively frames time allocation preferences and temporal dominance characteristics for 308 students perceived to be at risk by teachers in large urban high schools. Comparison with 205 normally attaining students indicates strong preferences among at-risk students for nondirected, time-consuming activities and weak temporal dominance or…

A qualitative case study explored the perceptions of 37 urban secondary school students and 12 teachers about their school and community. Teachers and students worked in a landscape characterized as one of "urban abstraction," a term that helps explain the complex and contradictory fabric of current urban life. (SLD)

Discusses ongoing ethnographic research on interpersonal caring at an inner-city elementary school. Analyzes the perceptions of teachers, parents, teaching assistants, and students concerning how they describe what acting in the best interest of others means. Considers issues that may hinder the construction of shared meaning. (JB)

Examines the history and importance of parent involvement in schools. Explores ways that urban schools can increase the participation of poor and minority parents. Suggests that schools might develop wider community partnerships. (FMW)

This study of diversity within a Catholic high school in a midwestern city examines the effect of the "caring community" on the achievement of African-American and other minority students. Through teacher, student, and parent interviews, analyzes caring and helping offered, uses of humor, and involvement in school activities. (JB)

Twenty-seven teachers from two urban high schools talk about communicating with English-as-a-Second-Language minority students and their parents. The focus is on student, parent, and school characteristics with respect to intercultural communication and on the needs of each group to develop communication skills and cultural sensitivity. (SLD)