While the demands of teaching continue to escalate, teacher development has changed relatively little over time, leaving many of today's teachers feeling underprepared, overwhelmed, or demoralized with few opportunities to make real change. Teacher leadership holds promise for both addressing challenges within schools and empowering teachers.…

The voices of students of color often are left out of discussions of urban school reform conversations when they should be central to reform efforts. Jonathan Collins suggests looking at democratic reform as an avenue to bring those voices forward. Participatory budgeting, for example, introduces students to the idea that they could decide how…

In the past decade, research-practice partnerships (RPPs) have grown in number and reputation. Stephanie Brown and Annie Allen describe the varied ways partnerships facilitate more sustained and productive relationships between researchers and practitioners. They share key findings from a comparative case study of three different types of RPPs…

The latest wave of reform in urban schools, led by the venture philanthropists, has made a great deal of change, without much progress. Foundations with a venture philanthropy bent, like the Walton Family Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and the Broad Foundation, say market principles, such as choice and competition, will improve schools. If…

Winners and finalists for the annual Broad Prize for Urban Education have consistently outperformed peer districts serving similar student populations. What makes the difference? These districts consistently demonstrate a learning loop that influences the district's ability to learn, which ultimately influences student opportunities to learn.…

Arne Duncan, the brightest and most dedicated schools leader Chicago has had in memory, wants Chicago to be a Mecca where entrepreneurship can flourish. In this article, the authors contend that private management of Chicago schools is a long way from Mecca. There is no evidence or educational research whatsoever to show that privately run…

When mayors take over education systems (as in Chicago, Boston, and Cleveland), school boards are big losers, and problems may persist. Mayoral takeovers happen for various reasons: bureaucratic dysfunction, diminishing faith in existing government structures, new demands on city governments, and perceived need for mayoral involvement. (Contains…

Education reformers have increasingly invested in developing collaborative communities within schools as a central strategy for improving teaching and student learning. This strategy comes in various guises, including small schools, small learning communities, and teacher teams. Several assumptions about how these communities will enhance…

Aside from promoting school choice and easing regulatory restraints, the federal government's role seems limited to continuing Chapter 1 and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. "First Generation" federal programs are a poor match for the problems afflicting urban schools. A new federal strategy is needed to stimulate local planning and…

Presents two new approaches to improving academic achievement in inner-city schools--group-based, mastery-learning reading instruction and curriculum alignment. Explains why fundamental school reform and incremental improvement, introduced in the 1970s, failed to yield consistent results. (Author/WD)

In the family support movement, three themes are central: providing success for all children, serving the whole child, and sharing responsibility. The Institute for Responsive Education used these themes to develop a national project (Schools Reaching Out) designed to redefine and expand parent involvement as part of urban school reform. Includes…

The surest way to improve schooling for 12 million children in poverty is to get them better teachers. The problem is selection, not training. "Star" urban teachers persistently engage their students, protect and enhance student learning opportunities, easily apply generalizations, succeed despite students' life conditions, genuinely respect…

Over an 11-year period, Community School District in New York City amassed a strong record of successful school improvement in a diverse urban setting. Nesting learning communities and cognitive apprenticeships are keys to success. Principals are responsible for establishing a pervasive culture of learning and teaching in each school. (MLH)

The good news about U.S. schools (improved Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and international achievement rankings) continues to be ignored, while the bad news about the nation's real problems (crushing poverty, crumbling cities, and a faltering economy) worsens. A system that formerly functioned as a sorting machine is now expected to optimize all…

Appraises five major (nonchampioning) forces pressuring public education: the expanding role of business interests; uneven performance of education's own pressure groups; changing role of cultural conservatism; influence of new-breed information providers; and effects of shifting labels and definitions of political loyalty on needy schools. (MLH)