This article is based on findings drawn from a large-scale study aimed at mapping barriers to education in the context of social disadvantage. The research sites focused on in this paper are: one early childhood facility, four primary schools and the communities of these learning centres. Participants included learners, teachers, caregivers and…

This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of high school students from a diverse, low-income urban community in Toronto, Canada. Findings revealed a strong sense of community, reinforced by the interlocking racial and class oppression and stigmatization participants experienced within the broader society, including school.…

The society is violent, the urban neighborhoods are violent, and the schools are violent. People who want to teach in urban schools need to recognize the reality of the situation they will enter. Beginning teachers must recognize that preventing violence is an integral part of their legitimate work; the more effective they are at empowering…

As part of a series of studies on the concerns and aspirations of American teachers, this report illustrates the concerns of teachers, students, and law enforcement officers about the increasing violence and fears of violence in U.S. schools. The survey is based on interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 teachers from grades 3…

This collection of papers reveals the systemic violence, poverty, educational neglect, and social disregard that shape the lives of poor children in the United States. After an introduction, "Savage Policies: Systemic Violence and the Lives of Children" (Valerie Polakow), there are eight chapters: (1) "A Crucible of Contradictions:…

Addresses decision-making skills as one approach to increasing adolescents' ability to manage interpersonal violence. Data from Healthy Transitions, a pilot violence prevention study in Baltimore (Maryland), illustrate ways adolescents think about situations of social conflict and highlight the need to understand adolescents' viewpoints when…