Beginning teachers report that they are not prepared and reluctant to teach in an urban setting. New teachers struggle immensely during their first few years of teaching to the point where they transfer to a suburban school or leave the teaching profession altogether. The purpose of this study was to create a list of recommendations for teacher preparation programs that embraced the wants and needs of urban teachers. This mixed methods descriptive study examined urban teachers' perceptions of the components of teacher preparation programs related to urban education. The participants in this study included 70 urban educators, who completed a questionnaire. Of these 70 participants, 14 of them also participated in interviews. The results of this study indicated that teacher preparation programs should incorporate practices such as cultural relevance and diversity practices to ensure better preparation for prospective educators. Urban clinical experiences, in addition to these practices, will benefit all prospective educators, and most importantly, all students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]