This analysis focuses on school offerings and practices that limit or increase the course work taken by particular groups of students. The National Commission on Excellence in Education has recommended minimal requirements for high school graduation consisting of 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, science, and social studies, and one-half…

Describes the Ysleta School District, El Paso (Texas), which has, despite high poverty and a constant inflow of immigrants with limited English skills, the best test scores of any urban district in Texas. In spite of the district's accomplishments, the school board seems determined to oust the current superintendent. (SLD)

Twenty-first-century urban schools face unique challenges in being culturally responsive and providing quality education to culturally diverse and low-income students. The academic achievement gap for low-income and ethnic youth poses the need for new and innovative interventions by educational institutions. School counselors are in a unique…

When visitors enter the offices of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, they are often taken by the art on display. The collection is striking and vibrant. Like all good art, each piece makes a statement--sometimes quietly, but boldly. When foundation staff proudly tell guests that the exhibit was created by Boston high school students, the…

The difficulties facing teachers in the largest urban school districts in the United States are different from those in smaller districts. It is especially important to identify the success stories of teachers and students in demanding urban classrooms. Star teachers are those who are outstandingly successful in terms of student achievement and…

The theme of this inaugural serial issue is "Building a Community of Learners." The serial has been designed to address school restructuring and reform and the roles of teachers, administrators, and parents. The first essay, "Constructing Communities of Cooperation" by Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood examines structural change in…

This book focuses on the relationship between ethnic and racial identity and academic engagement, examining in particular the role that schools and classrooms play in shaping this relationship. It examines the lives of students to ask how they conceptualize and assert their ethnic and racial identities across varied curricular settings. The case…

This booklet provides some guidelines for preparing African American students for college. Parents' experiences with higher education are a key to shaping their expectations for their children, and the lack of direct parental experience can be a handicap for students who will be the first generation of their families to attend college. Educators…

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…

Testimony on strategies designed to enhance educational opportunities for disadvantaged students is recorded in this report of a congressional hearing. Robert Slavin of the Early and Elementary School Program, Center for Research on Effective Schooling for Disadvantaged Students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (Maryland) testified about…

Recommendations and an action plan for improving Wisconsin public schools' focus on teaching and learning, rather than on changes such as vouchers and privatization. Positive strategies designed to promote achievement are favored over punitive strategies or remedial actions. The action plan includes financial help to implement the recommendations.…

This longitudinal study evaluated the effects of a preschool project designed to serve children between 3 and 5 years of age in a disadvantaged inner-city area in Dublin, Ireland. The preschool, established in 1969, emphasized the development of children's cognitive skills and established structures to increase parents' involvement in their…

The Ninth Grade Restructuring Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were…

Although education in England is dominated by the rhetoric of "standards," this paper attempts to show that the overall shape and drive of English education reform has remained largely consistent. The annually published School Performance Tables continue to be assigned a special place in the reforms, as a means to and as an index of…

A study was done of 5 selected domains of self-perception held by 60 urban black male 10th graders in North Carolina. The domains were scholastic competence, athletic competence, physical appearance, behavioral conduct, and job competence. Each domain was transformed into a research questions. Achievers (n=30) and potential achievers (n=30) as…