Contends that the nature of U.S. urban life has created profound challenges for urban schools. Asserts that music educators must examine innovative trends in policy, programming, and curricula to determine how music can contribute to better schools and a better quality of life in urban areas. (CFR)

Teacher attrition and teacher burnout are among the most serious problems facing urban schools today. With teachers under constant siege, under resourced, and often under prepared, the revolving door of urban teaching has left schools, and therefore children, in a constant state of flux. These dehumanizing and de-intellectualized conditions of…

This document, comprised of five issues of a newsletter published by the National Middle School Association, focuses on teaching concerns and practice in urban middle grades. Regular features of issues include an editorial section, a resources column, a "News to Use" section, and feature articles. The following are some articles…

Focusing on the efforts of seven teachers involved in a mathematics curriculum reform program in three housing projects ("The Bricks") in Cleveland (Ohio), this article examines the contexts of reform. Cultural conflicts between students and teachers and barriers to full teacher commitment to reform hampered project implementation. (SLD)

What teaching practices foster inquiry and promote students to learn challenging subject matter in urban schools? Inquiry-based instruction and successful inquiry learning and teaching in project-based science (PBS) were described in previous studies (Brown & Campione, [1990]; Crawford, [1999]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, Bass, & Fredricks,…

This book tells the stories of two young male first-grade teachers in an urban public school. From the perspective of a white male teacher, the book describes the complexities of establishing a personal and professional relationship with a co-teacher of different ethnicity (Hispanic American) and somewhat different philosophy, and the difficulties…

A hearing before the oversight committee for the District of Columbia (D.C.) public schools provided the opportunity for several senators and educators to comment on the progress of educational reform in the District's public schools. The hearing was held at a time when the opening of the city's public schools was delayed because of their many…

Entitled Project Success Environment and funded by Elementary Secondary Education Act Title III, the pilot 1970-71 study included eight experimental classes with appropriate comparison classes. Following this initial effort the program was expanded to include twice the number of students within a wider age range during the second year of operation…

The articles in this theme issue focus on urban education. The first essay, "The Changing Urban School" by Rosanne Bacon, notes the challenges of urban schools. As the nation's cities change to reflect a more diverse, multicultural, and multiethnic population, urban schools must meet the needs of a rapidly changing student population. Teachers are…

This book is primarily about the problems of preparing teachers for assignments to schools in low-income neighborhoods and is based on an extensive case study of a specific attempt to deal with these problems. Chapter 1 introduces some basic issues in the training of teachers for assignment to schools in low-income neighborhoods. Chapter 2…

The Comprehensive Partnerships for Mathematics and Science Achievement (CPMSA) is a National Science Foundation program launched in 1993, designed to improve the mathematics and science education of urban students in medium-sized cities. The goals of the program, in addition to increased enrollments in mathematics and science classes, were to…

Describes the program at Carter G. Woodson elementary school, Baltimore (MD), an urban school serving many at-risk students which has adopted the curriculum and techniques of the Calvert School, a predominantly white, selective private school. There have been readily observable and measurable gains in academic achievement at the public school.…

The authors of this article present a synopsis of one simultaneous reform effort of a teacher preparation program and a partner urban elementary school. We have attempted to blend the realities of urban teaching and teacher preparation without compromising our beliefs in constructivist theories of learning, cooperative learning, and inclusion. We…

Prominent Americans were asked to reflect on the diversity challenge facing America's teacher workforce. The following leaders from several fields voiced their support of teachers and their beliefs America needs more diverse and culturally responsive teachers: (1) Mary Hatwood Futrell, President of Education International; (2) Carol Moseley-Braun,…

Articles in this theme issue explore pathways into teaching, focusing on programs that recruit future teachers, and specifically on programs that target minority future teachers. "Pathways to Teaching: Building Quality and Diversity in America's Schools" by Segun Eubanks introduces a number of programs that are drawing from populations…