Identifies long-standing and pervasive issues related to the preparation of teachers, especially for high-poverty urban schools. Simplistic views of teachers and teacher education prevail, and a second constraining factor is the lack of understanding of the fundamental relationship between the scope and nature of teacher preparation and the…

Studied the Massachusetts Signing Bonus Program for New Teachers, a teacher recruitment program. Findings for 4 years show many failings of the program, which has produced relatively few urban teachers with low rates of teacher retention. (SLD)

Describes an experiment in K-16 collaboration that is taking place on the Milwaukee Public Schools, Wisconsin. Public school "teachers-in-residence" undertake a 2-year stint at a university program dedicated to mainstreaming multiculturalism in undergraduate education and help create courses for future urban educators. (SLD)

In response to a questionnaire, school districts that are members of the Council of the Great City Schools (n=40) supplied information about their immediate and anticipated demand for teachers, recruitment strategies, and efforts to encourage diversity in the teacher workforce. Cities surveyed were from across the country. Colleges from the Great…

Describes the partnerships developed by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis with public schools and community organizations to improve urban student performance through teacher education and full-service schools (schools that offer a wrap-around of services to eliminate or minimize socioeconomic or health-related barriers to…

Describes the Urban Teachers' Corps, a program of the Great City Universities coalition, that focuses on improving the academic performance of students in school districts that partner with a university through enhanced educator preparation and professional development. (SLD)

Research suggests that using an ecological approach to school reform calls for understanding how urban school curricula, procedures, and regulations affect interactions among students, teachers, and parents and then devising solutions that do not blame any party. The federal program Trainers of Teacher Trainers exemplifies forging new…

Used data on New York state teachers to determine how much variation in the average attributes of teachers exists across schools, identify schools with the least qualified teachers, assess changes in the distribution over time, and determine how the distribution of teachers is affected by attrition, transfer, and the matches between teachers and…

Presents a model for an urban P-16 (integrated education from preschool though college) that is meant to reshape and improve teacher education in a way driven by the involvement of major stakeholders in the community. The discussion focuses on partnering activities at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. (SLD)

Notions of critical thinking are examined particularly in relation to academic success. Current debate focuses on children's lack of critical-thinking skills, especially those in urban schools. Because teachers' beliefs form the foundational basis for critical thinking, shaping attitudes and values is needed in teacher-education programs. (MMU)

Urban Impact is a Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Act partnership grant supporting the development of new strategies and structures to strengthen the preparation and development of beginning teachers in urban settings in Tennessee. This study evaluated the success of Urban Impact in restructuring university coursework and university/school…

Describes partnership efforts between the Richmond Public Schools, Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University that have focused on the needs of urban schools. Describes challenges that remain with regard to preparing teachers, mentoring beginning teachers, and retaining experienced teachers. (SLD)

A study of inservice needs of principals and teachers at schools in the process of desegregation indicates the following: (1) White staff must perceive the need for change; (2) inservice training should address overall goals and teachers' implementation needs; and (3) teachers must be interested in pupils' needs as well as in their own…

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics are used to look at Michigan's progress in meeting the challenge of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that teachers be "highly qualified." The data also allow the study of whether all students in Michigan have access to the highly qualified teachers required by the NCLB.…

Introduces the new journal, "Educators for Urban Minorities," and explains the crisis looming in urban education as teacher shortages increase, and academic and professional standards for teachers are raised. Describes efforts made by Long Island University to help their linguistically and culturally diverse student body meet the…