This article highlights two key problems of practice the author faced as the instructor of an elementary literacy methods class for Teach for America corps members in a large, northeastern city during an era characterized by strict state and district control: the deficit perspectives the corps members held of their students and the lack of…

Discusses the education of Melvin Smith, who attended Noyes Elementary School in the kindergarten grade; Larimer School, Dewey School, and Foster School in the elementary grades; Haven Junior High School; Evanston Township High School; and Fisk University. (JM)

Reports research in which 66 Black inner city students in grades 3 to 6 were interviewed about their perceptions of themselves as math learners. Focuses on student responses to questions about the causes of problem difficulty and the effects of that difficulty on their inner speech, feelings, and motivation to learn. (CB)

This paper explores the concept of "at-riskness" as defined by Head Start and elementary school professionals who work together in the same building. Using Bruner's (1996) idea of "folk theories," the authors show that the two groups' theories of at-riskness conflict and discuss how these definitions impact their practice with…

In this interview, a female Hispanic principal discusses the challenges, resources, and support involved in implementing a two-way bilingual immersion model in a Hispanic community in Albuquerque (New Mexico). Program success resulted primarily from supportive parents, faculty, and superintendent and the principal's leadership style, which is…