Whether using cooperative learning can improve the academic achievement of inner city middle school students was studied in Gary, Indiana at a school with a population of 503 students. Two seventh-grade classes taught by 1 African American male teacher served as 1 treatment group of 20 at-risk students and one nontreatment group of 24 high…

An analysis of the metropolitan tests reveals that they contain symbols not equally familiar and motivating to all socioeconomic groups; they are fixed on verbal symbols, paragraph content, and problem solving most familiar to higher and middle socioeconomic groups. (JM)

A grant from The New World Foundation made possible a series of lectures during the academic year 1969-1970 on the theme "Urban Education in the 1970's." A number of the specialists who had participated in the first work conference were invited to deliver another lecture. Each was asked to take another look at urban education from the vantage of…

This study examined the relationship between self-concept variables and academic achievement in 72 African American inner-city high school students. The self-concept variable of particular interest was racial self-concept, those perceptions about the self that develop as a result of racial identity. The hypothesis that racial and global…

Compared two single-sex and two coeducational fifth-grade classes (90 students) from inner-city schools for academic achievement. Class grades were consistently higher in the single-sex classes, although the difference was not always statistically significant. Standardized-test data showed no trend, although coeducational groups performed better…

Catholic schools have had astonishing success in working with inner-city children. Recent research has confirmed that the performance of students in Catholic schools surpasses that of urban public school students, usually at lower cost. A recent survey also indicated that 83% of public school parents and 82% of inner-city poor parents want…

This document is concerned with the objectives and evaluation of the educational programs of six elementary schools. Charles R. Drew Elementary School has been classified as a Title I school and receives compensatory services to improve academic performances and self-concepts of the pupils. E. R. Carter Elementary School is also a Title I school.…

The purpose of this study was to compare the self concept, academic achievement, and occupational aspirations of two samples of eleventh and twelfth grade black male students, who live in the inner city of a large metropolitan area and attend schools of racially different composition. The sample in the segregated black school consisted of 56 male…

The experiences of a literature teacher in an inner-city high school in Houston (Texas) give a portrait of the urban classroom and the successes and failures of the everyday life of the urban teacher. The school, in a poor neighborhood, is unremarkable, unstimulating, and ill-equipped for serious learning. The students, who are almost entirely…

The Community for Learning program (CFL), also known as the Learning City Program, a school-based intervention program, is described. A major premise of this program is that the national standards of educational outcomes can and must be upheld for all students, including those at risk. At the core of the program's design is over 20 years of…

This book is reissued as part of the Innovators in Education Series, which brings back into print books that are both historically significant and that speak to today's educational concerns. Originally released in 1971, the book presents lessons that still apply to what doesn't work and what could work in the schools. The study of five inner-city…

This six-article document examines the research base that can be used in formulating plans to improve the chances of schooling success for all students. Each article summarizes well-confirmed knowledge in a particular area, giving attention first to the research literature, and then to the tested experiences and practices of leading professionals.…

In examining both non-school and school conditions and resources that may affect learning, this paper focuses on the education of poor, minority, and low achieving inner city children. First, the external environment of urban schools is discussed in terms of structural factors (such as racial isolation and inadequate employment, housing, and…

One new approach to the needs of at-risk African American male students that is being implemented in several urban school districts throughout the nation is the immersion school approach. This is the establishment of schools that provide a curriculum and related experiences for African American male students that are distinct from the curriculum…

Students' experiences of daily classroom activities and the larger school context were studied at the Robert W. Coleman Elementary School, Baltimore (Maryland). Coleman is an inner-city school serving about 500 African American children in prekindergarten through grade 5. The school is organized into three campuses--primary, "Coleman"…