In this article the author reflects on some of the methodological issues of conducting research in a local marginalised community in the UK. Her research was on attitudes to literacy in the Gypsy and Traveller community in southern England. This article describes some of the challenges and how she, as an outsider and not a member of their…

This critical reflection addresses the role of the Christian Church in tackling educational underachievement and poverty in the inner city. The Church has traditionally expressed a commitment to meeting the needs of the poor, and has exerted a significant influence on education over many years. However, there is a notable lack of guidance and…

This paper focuses on how community educators might collaborate to help break the cycle of frustration, failure, and violence that shadows many disadvantaged inner-city African American students. It suggests that persistent, race-based inequities in urban areas are a major factor in this syndrome. These causes are proposed to be disparity in…