As a result of increases in immigration, more students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are entering K-12 classrooms in the United States. Thus, the need to study the education of diverse learners is intensified. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews, observations, and informal conversations, this case study examined how a…

While new teachers are often ill-equipped to address and discuss issues of race and culture, especially with students of color (Milner & Laughter, 2014), teacher preparation programs can provide candidates with safe spaces to explore these concepts. This study presents findings from student enrollees in redesigned teacher education courses at…

The racial achievement gap is a problem that is plaguing America's school system. Across the country, black and brown students are performing below their white classmates. According to researchers like Gloria Ladson-Billings and Geneva Gay, one of the most effective ways to reduce the achievement gap is to use culturally relevant instruction. The…

Dropout rates, suspensions, and expulsions have increased--among urban schools for quite some time. Yet, the number of unmotivated and disengaged culturally diverse students in urban learning environments is steadily increasing. There is a growing number of white female novice teachers who are entering the field of urban education and many…

UTRPP addressed the i3 Development Grant Absolute Priority 1, Subpart 2: Increase equitable access to effective teachers or principals for low-income and high-need students. UTRPP infused comprehensive, job-embedded professional development (PD) for participating Residents and other teachers; established triads and quads to support Residents; and…

This qualitative case study explored how a pre-service training program developed through a partnership between a university and a charter school, and specifically created to prepare and retain urban educators, may lead to efficacious classroom practices. To address the manner in which teachers can be ill-prepared for the realities of urban school…

This article uses counter-storytelling to examine how four urban African American mothers understand and discuss the role of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in their children's education. Counter-storytelling is used as an oppositional framework to dominant stories privileged by educational systems. Findings conclude how parents posit valid…

An integral part of a teacher learning continuum ranging from preservice education to professional development for experienced educators, new teacher induction holds particular potential to effect change in urban education. Accordingly, this article offers recommendations for induction-related policy and programming capable of supporting beginning…

This article examines how 18 teachers, counselors, administrators, and support staff from seven New York City public high schools collaborated during the Black and Latino Male Professional Development Initiative (a pseudonym) to develop a "culturally relevant, schoolwide, college-going culture" supportive of Black and Latino males'…

Despite increasing diversity in U.S. schools, the topic of teacher effectiveness remains to be dominated by a universal narrative. This study applies critical theory, critical race theory, and culturally responsive pedagogy to position teacher effectiveness as contextual to urban schools and relational to the asset-based view of the learner. This…

In this article, co-written by a teacher and a professor, the authors examine possible explanations for why Adam (first author), a New York City public school special educator, failed the edTPA, a teacher performance assessment required by all candidates for state certification. Adam completed a yearlong teaching residency where he was the special…

Enactment of social justice education is an important step toward rectifying pervasive discrimination woven into public schools and other American institutions. A social justice educator must develop diverse cultural competencies and also recognize oneself as a racialized participant in a system of racial inequity. The demographics of an…

The purpose of this study was to examine the early career experiences of three physical education (PE) teachers who taught in urban charter schools. Using cultural relevance theory, three early career PE teachers were observed and interviewed for approximately six weeks each. Data were analyzed using constant comparison. Two major themes emerged…

Technology use in high-minority, low-income middle school ELA classrooms is defined by traditional instructional practices (Applebee & Langer, 2013; Attewell, 2001; Boser, 2013; Cuban, 2001; Lankshear & Knobel, 2008), barriers to access (O'Dwyer et al., 2005; Purcell et al., 2013; Warschauer & Matuchniak, 2010), and inequalities in use…

Statistics indicate that students who reside in "forgotten places" do not engage in science-related careers. This is problematic because we are not tapping into diverse talent that could very well make scientific strides and because there is a moral obligation for equity as discussed in "Science for all" (AAAS, 1989). Research…