Inservice programs for teachers and other educational personnel can increase the effectiveness of urban schools by upgrading the quality of school programs for children. Although social forces are partly responsible for the problems confronting urban schools, it is necessary to use existing knowledge to improve education under present conditions.…

Recognizing the need for improved, more flexible, more reality-based training for pupil personnel workers, the Division of Foundations and Human Behavior, Indiana University, in conjunction with the Department of Counseling and Guidance, formed a relationship with the Indianapolis Public Schools in order to seek out methods of improving PPS…

Describes the plan used by the Jackson, Mississippi, school district to improve its program. Notes that the plan focused on (1) the instructional program, (2) districtwide staff development, (3) in-depth evaluation, and (4) a community-district communications network. (FL)

Recent trends are reviewed in support of the contention that urban education is returning to the educational mainstream. The emphasis on professional accountability and the principal as instructional leader, the promise of effective schools research, stronger school-business relationships, and more effective public relations are discussed. (MJL)

Describes Project P.S. 137, implemented in a New York City public school. Affiliated with the University of Oregon's Direct Instruction Model, the project involved kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade classes. Students in the program consistently surpassed mean performance levels of comparable disadvantaged inner-city students on…

This article describes alternatives currently being proposed by some Federal Congressional and Administration officials in response to growing dissatisfaction with the efforts of public schools in aiding educationally disadvantaged children. Legislation is being readied that would let private companies tackle the problem. (JH)

A preliminary analysis of three effective schools projects in Wisconsin and New York shows general improvement, especially in school climate and basic skills teaching. Administrative support included district, central office, and higher education personnel for staff development. Successful implementation can result in substantial immediate…

The $1 million Broad Prize in Urban Education is the nation's largest award in K-12 public education. The Broad Prize is given annually by The Broad Foundation in the form of scholarships to urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among ethnic…

In 1994, the Minister for Education in Northern Ireland announced a major school improvement initiative for Belfast, Raising School Standards (RSS). Aspects pertaining to the management of this school improvement initiative, including the launch and selection of 14 project schools, are examined here. The paper analyzes the process of action…

The school effectiveness experiences of urban public school systems in America serve as a pivotal means of developing understanding of the potential for success inherent in school improvement strategies. The school effectiveness movement began in the mid-1960s with researchers such as Coleman, Jencks, and Jensen. Aggregated quantitative data…

This 1965 report summarizes briefly the purposes, functions, and projects of the Research Council of the Great Cities Program for School Improvement. Described are the initial projects in which vocational education, gray areas, fiscal policy, and teacher education were studied. New areas of involvement include instructional materials development,…

This paper presents a contextual statement from which to consider contemporary educational problems. The operations of the curriculum system in an urban environment are surveyed. The three primary functions of the system (production, implementation, and evaluation) have been described in depth. It is suggested that issues such as decentralization,…

When administrators base plans and actions on the particular life circumstances and conditions of parents, effective school-home relations result. This article suggests different emphases in urban versus rural and elementary versus secondary settings. (Author/LHW)

Sets forth ways of equalizing educational opportunity in public schools so as to avert two separate societies,'' and evaluates metropolitan approaches to the problem. (DM)