What occurs when teachers in urban social studies classrooms want to do their best by incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy into their historical literacy instruction? While culturally relevant pedagogy and historical literacy are complementary in theory and a few scholars have demonstrated how teachers have integrated the two approaches in…

The purpose of this case study research was to understand the ways in which an innovative, urban secondary English teacher (Ms. B) approached English Language Arts, when a set, standardized curriculum and testing were in place. The Common Core standards were prescribed within a required module-based presentation format. New literacies pedagogy…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how an urban teachers' residency cohort program in Ohio, formed a partnership with an urban school district located in Ohio, and how and why the partners defined distinct and differing ideas of teacher quality for high-poverty schools and their disadvantaged students. Investigations of…

In the last ten years, education reform in this country has led to keen emphasis on student achievement at every level. Since then, many research studies have been dedicated to closing the student achievement gap through the examination of teacher training & development. Research has also incited awareness in the value of "emotional…

African American students are not achieving at the levels of their white and Asian counterparts on all measures of achievement including standardized assessments, particularly in mathematics. The existence of a mathematics achievement gap signifies a breakdown in the teaching and learning of mathematics for African American students. This…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine urban high school mathematics teachers' perceptions of how they manage their own and their students' emotional intelligence (EI) to facilitate instruction and learning; their reports of how they handle their emotions as urban mathematics teachers; and their reports of how they manage the…

Teachers make a difference. White female middle-class teachers represent 84 percent of Americas' teachers. How does culture influence the self-reflective problem-solving behaviors of urban teachers? Urban schools fail youth by opening the doors for a mass exodus. The problem solving behavior of urban teachers may contribute to the student exodus…

This dissertation is a qualitative narrative study of preservice teachers' construction of urban teaching identities. While studies of urban teacher preparation highlight the need for teacher education programs to foster certain requisite knowledge, dispositions, attitudes, beliefs and skills, more studies are required to illuminate ways in which…

Teachers may not be trained on how to prevent or address school violence and/or may lack the skills necessary to provide adequate intervention strategies. The purpose of this study was to explore urban K-6 teachers' perceptions of school violence at one metropolitan school. The conceptual framework for this study was supported by Bronfenbrenner's…

The purpose of this study was to explore urban teachers' praxis with historically marginalized youth. Specifically I examined of the role of hope and armed love, as well as critical pedagogy as conceptualized and implemented in urban classrooms. The basis for this is the continued educational inequities for urban youth, and an exploration of the…

Research about educational resilience provides a framework for understanding why some at risk children are successful in school, while others are not. It can inform and guide teachers as they strive to improve the odds of urban student achievement. This research, an instrumental multiple case study, gathered the experiences of three experienced…

This study examines the reasons that influence six secondary English teachers' decisions to remain in the teaching profession. A concern of parents, administrators, and policymakers is that secondary English teachers, often early in their careers, leave the profession at alarming rates, especially in California. This problem exacts a high monetary…