Growing emphasis on elementary STEM education has pushed elementary teachers to face curriculum changes that focus on standards with which they are largely unfamiliar (Smith, 2020; Trygstad et al., 2013). As a result, elementary students are not always exposed to STEM subjects or integration and miss out on opportunities to access and enjoy the…

Previous research shows that the lockdown of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic increased the already existing inequalities in education but little is known about the processes underlying these outcomes. In this study we used Bourdieu's theories to explore how interactions between teachers' expectations of parents and parents' availability of…

Purpose: This qualitative case study illuminates the leadership practices of four female Asian American administrators in urban schools. Due to their underrepresentation in leadership roles, the need is pressing for research to capture concrete exemplars on beliefs and practices of sympathy based on an asset-oriented approach to school leadership.…

Situated at the intersection of education policy, teacher professional learning, and K-5 literacy teaching and learning, this dissertation study examined how a group of educators working in one of the largest school districts in the U.S. Mountain West sought to improve the quality and coherence of their schoolwide approach to literacy instruction.…

Since 2001, the Chinese government had passed a series of policies known as "the two primary responsibilities" to allow the rural migrant children to attend urban public schools. However, what the migrant children actually experienced in and after negotiating access to these schools deserves serious attention from educators, scholars and…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how elementary principals perceive their roles in the context of equity and historical inequality in public education. Three elementary principals of three different socio-economically and culturally diverse elementary school districts responded to interviews and questionnaires. They expressed…

This article, written by a research-active teacher, reports on efforts to embed quality teaching in a local urban primary school in the north of England, under pressure from the Local Authority to raise standards because it is well below national expectations on SATs tests. The school has concentrated over recent years on embracing the Office for…

Principals in urban settings serve elementary schools often densely populated with highly mobile, ethnically diverse, and economically disadvantaged students. Due to the changing landscape of increasing accountability issues required by the "No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)" (2001), principals must adjust the mission of the school…

This paper summarises some English research findings related to educational inequality, particularly in inner urban schools. It documents how differences related to relative poverty are reflected in patterns of educational attainment as revealed by national tests results. It considers and evaluates how the issue of educational inequality in…

Teaching is an intellectual task of serious proportions, in part because the student and situation are constantly changing. The task of teaching involves, as well as intellectual commitment, an ethical stance with an implied moral contract. A good teacher communicates a deep regard for students' lives and the belief that each student is unique and…

Discusses current Chicago, Illinois, school reform in the context of economic restructuring, the drive to become a "global city," and the cultural politics of race. Focuses on high stakes testing and accountability. Suggests that education policies are part of a cultural politics of race aimed at the control and regulation of African…

Describes several successful programs for raising the achievement of disadvantaged students. Holds that since instructionally effective schools do exist, and they have known features which provide useful operational guidelines, it is possible to achieve further advances in successful pedagogy for poor children. (GC)

Explores the politics of time in a multitrack, year-round school in Los Angeles (California), analyzing different experiences of time within the school and the largely immigrant community. Findings show that the year-round schedule is problematic and reveal how issues of educational equity go to the core of debates over school schedules. (SLD)

The Syracuse City School District recognizes that infusing the curriculum with multicultural education is essential to equal educational outcomes. The following recommendations for the elementary level are made: (1) every curriculum area should be taught with a multicultural perspective; (2) field trips should be organized to expose students to…

This paper analyzes the distribution of resources and performance across 840 New York City elementary and middle schools. It presents empirical evidence on input and output of equity of expenditures, teacher resources, and academic achievement. Historically, researchers have studied interdistrict distributions, but given the large number of pupils…