Leveraging publicly available data about schools" absenteeism from the New Jersey Department of Education, the present study examined how neighborhood-level resource deprivation and violent crime related to chronic absenteeism in Passaic County's elementary, middle, and high schools. Results highlighted geographic disparities in Passaic…

Critical service learning is an approach that works toward social transformation and egalitarian partnerships. However, the ways in which space facilitates or undermines this approach has been largely unexplored. Drawing on a case study from an urban education course, we argue that a critical geography framework can develop students'…

This report summarizes efforts to develop and pilot test a protocol for collecting information about parent involvement policies, practices, and programs being implemented at the middle and high school levels. The protocol can be used to expand documentation of strategies selected, adapted, and sustained in future years. The study reviewed the…

The School District of Philadelphia (SDP), like many other urban school districts, struggles to increase its hiring and retention of experienced and highly qualified teachers in its low-performing/high-need schools. Excluding its charter schools, SDP serves approximately 165,000 students, largely from high-poverty (76%) and minority (85%)…

The NEA Task Force was instructed to "recommend to the Executive Committee a structure and program for the coordination and expansion of the human rights activities of the NEA and of the departments, divisions, commissions, and committees." Their recommendations and a discussion of the forces in American society that make them necessary comprise…

This symposium investigates the condition of urban Latinos and Blacks two decades after reports by the Kerner, Eisenhower, and Katzenbach commissions recommended sweeping reforms in urban policy. Twenty-nine researchers, politicians, and policymakers analyze the condition of the urban poor and the role of minorities in forming policies. The…

Describes how economic and social forces are leading to changes within the urban family. Holds that schooling has not kept pace with changes in technology and employment opportunities. (Author/GC)

This paper examines research on urban education, looking at what works and what does not. It introduces a theme issue of the "Illinois Schools Journal" that examines various interventions from the perspectives of members of the Center for Urban Research and Education (CURE) and tenure-track professors from Chicago State University's College of…

The Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce worked with the school system to produce the educated base to support a strong economy. A School/Business Collaborative was created to stimulate school-business programs, evaluate and document their results, and act as a facilitator for businesses and schools wanting to work together. (MLW)

South Africa and the United States face similar problems: teachers' inadequacies in educating an increasingly diverse population; a culture of poverty undermining public support; urban decay and declining tax bases; insufficient resources; totally inadequate school facilities; and unrealistic expectations, considering allotted resources, faculty,…

This study used a naturalistic, qualitative design to investigate 12 preservice teachers' views toward urban education during a two-week experience in an urban high school. In-depth case studies to two of the subjects were constructed using data sources consisting of essays and interviews (pre- and post-experience), student journals, and…

Considers the implications of statistics on death and poverty in minority communities for Catholic high schools with large minority populations. Sees hope at the heart of the Catholic high school. Discusses how teachers, school climate, and careful curriculum design can help instill this hope in the students. (DMM)

Examines major critiques from the literature on the Professional Development School (PDS) equity agenda and accomplishments, referencing works from literature on PDSs, diversity, urban education, and multicultural education. The paper focuses on issues related to poor or working-class learners in PDS settings and learners from non-European racial,…

Proposes 12 teacher attributes that are important in multicultural schools, focusing on specific teacher qualities and ideology and explaining that selecting teachers who are predisposed to perform the sophisticated expectations of multicultural teaching is a necessary precondition. Training has important value after preselection, providing it…

This paper describes the results of research examining the racial and socioeconomic segregation of public schools in two very different cities, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and Houston (Texas). Factors that explain the degree of racial and economic segregation and the consequences of this segregation for student academic achievement were examined.…