Project Make All Reading Serviceable (MARS) offers special reading instruction to over 200 public and parochial school disadvantaged children in grades one through four. The primary objective is to raise the reading performance of students to a level consistent with their potential reading ability. The program also aims to foster academic…

Seriously questions the current beliefs that reading scores in urban schools will remain low due to ever-increasing poverty and minority populations, and that a child's learning patterns are irreversibly set in preschool years. (Editor/RK)

Thirty elementary school principals in a large urban school system were interviewed. They identified a pattern of strategies for identifying, managing, and possibly dismissing, borderline incompetent teachers. (LHW)

Presents multilevel analyses of a large-scale educational improvement effort conducted in seven urban schools over a two-year period. Consistent high-to-moderate relationships were found between observed level of model implementation and classroom achievement gains in reading. Concludes that major improvement in inner-city schools is possible. (DR)

An ethnographic case study was conducted in an inner city elementary school in Montreal. Focus was on how teachers (1) formulate assumptions about pupil behavior on past experience; (2) group a heterogeneous student population less on ability than on practical organizational interests; and (3) allow pedagogical circumstances to affect perception…

This monograph presents a case study of a Chapter I reading improvement intervention involving reciprocal teaching in Highland Park, Michigan, that was planned and executed during the 1993-1995 school years. Teachers and paraprofessionals taught reciprocal teaching strategies daily to third-grade students to prepare them for the fourth-grade state…

Describes a program called Daughters with Disabilities which was created to address the fact that individuals with disabilities, especially girls, are widely under-served and under-educated in the areas of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Describes a program that breaks down barriers for girls with disabilities in special…

Investigates the effect of a school district's use of formal control mechanisms and the socioeconomic status of the district on principal-parent relations. Results indicate an interaction effect between socioeconomic status and formal control mechanisms with regard to positive sentiments toward parents. Implications are discussed. (Author/JS)

Describes the National Urban Coalition's "Say YES to a Youngster's Future" project that is being tested in public schools in Washington, D.C., and Houston (Texas). This program is an activities-based, early intervention, family learning program in math and science that targets minority students in grades K-six and their parents. (JS)

Examined classroom processes taking place during reading instruction in two settings: (1) schools with a large Hispanic Limited-English-proficient student population, and (2) inner-city schools where the student population is more ethnically diverse. Results indicated that the type of reading instruction taking place in both types of schools is…

A prereferral model consisting of three components (information sharing sessions, peer exchange sessions, and peer coaching teams) was implemented in two inner-city elementary schools. Emphasis was on teachers assisting each other in generating solutions for student learning or behavior problems. Referral rates indicated that participants referred…

Although often ignored by policymakers, African-American independent neighborhood schools provide models of successful learning environments grounded in cultural history and the pursuit of excellence. These schools are usually urban and mostly minority and have a long tradition of self-help providing stability to the African-American community.…

Describes the objectives of a proposal to create two Catholic "base community" schools in Hispanic communities in Chicago, which will allow parents full participation and infuse neighborhoods with hope. Discusses several broad assumptions about the role of the schools and steps to ensure schools are products of the community. (BCY)

Presents examples of discourse in classroom interaction that show how social relations in the classroom mirror larger societal relationships in ways that exclude students' cultural and linguistic practices as resources for meaningful literacy learning. Shows how this discourse process (called reciprocal distancing) is used by teachers and students…

Describes schoolwide asthma screening in an inner-city Minneapolis elementary school, discussing the effectiveness and feasibility of the screening efforts. Screening methodology resulted in a simple, noninvasive, efficient approach for identifying children with current asthma in a school setting. The paper proposes how such a screening program…