This article presents a preliminary study of an urban school district, and its use of a scripted middle-school language arts and literacy curriculum. The majority of students served by this district are African American. By interviewing a small sample of four teachers and one literacy coach, gathering preliminary data, and observing students…

Although several studies highlight the integration of hip-hop-based education (HHBE) into teacher education workshops and coursework, little is known about the use of HHBE by the teachers and teacher candidates who take part in these learning experiences. Toward such a contribution, this study examines how teacher candidates proposed to integrate…

This quantitative and qualitative study sought to examine the factors that teachers in a poor socio-economic, high-minority, urban, inner-city school district determined were important when gauging their effectiveness in the classroom. The study focused on the selection of specific factors by approximately seventy-five teachers from seven of eight…

Explores oral and written works (plays and rap songs) of students in a sixth grade, all African American, urban science class to reveal ways in which affective and social aspects are intertwined with student cognition. Interprets student work in terms of the meeting of various genres brought by students and teachers into the classroom. (Contains…

Focuses on how teacher participation in professional development activities impacts science instruction in middle school classrooms. Classroom observations and teacher interviews were employed to examine the use of equitable teaching strategies. Contains 30 references. (DDR)

Over a six-week period, students (N=19) with learning disabilities in an inner-city middle school were taught the chronological order of the U.S. presidents. Half the time a modified mnemonic keyword-pegword strategy was used and the other half rehearsal and representational pictures. Delayed posttesting revealed a significant main effect for…

The Inner-City Arts Training program trains Winnipeg (Canada) teachers in art appreciation, visual awareness, and art production. This training allows them to guide their students through extensive projects that encourage individual contribution while furthering teamwork. The consonance between visual and verbal language is used to develop…

In the spirit of educational reform, this paper discusses school restructuring and proposes a model for making education more responsive to the needs of urban youth by fostering competence built upon unique cultural resources and individual skills already possessed. The proposed project would target the middle school, which is considered an ideal…

Examined effectiveness of a teacher education program emphasizing skills and knowledge needed in multicultural, multilingual urban middle school settings. Found that candidates were already culturally/linguistically sensitive, and became more so during the program; felt prepared to meet student needs; and still had difficulty envisioning the…

Project ORDER is a pilot project tested in an urban middle school in Houston, Texas. The program was intended to improve the general school atmosphere; to improve students' attitudes toward the school, its program, faculty, and administration; to show significant improvement in pupil behavior; and to substantially improve teaching-learning…

Describes a partnership between the Joint Activities Program and an inner-city school that provides students with an enriched science learning experience. The program's educational beliefs, assumptions, and their implications are discussed. Also included in the article are brief descriptions of some the science experiences and learning of the…

This book addresses experientially and theoretically the nature of contemporary urban education, in terms of teaching and in the contexts of U.S. culture and teacher education. Much of it is derived from classroom experience as an inner-city classroom teacher. Chapter 1, "Connecting Inner Cities and Urban Schools: Racism's 'Slippery…

Most people think of nature in the city as parks and zoos and dandelions pushing up through cracks in the sidewalk, but it is also asphalt streets, granite office buildings and mazes of underground pipes and cables. The materials of which the streets and buildings are constructed began as prehistoric jungles and ancient mountains. The systems that…

Although it deals with both years of the program, this report is primarily concerned with the second year of Project ORDER. The program's objectives were to improve the general school atmosphere, including teacher, student, and parent attitudes toward the school; to show continued significant improvement in pupil behavior; and to substantially…