This article examines trends in learning among a multiracial group of activist urban educators in an inquiry group dedicated to the topic of structural racism. I find that deep learning about race and racism requires teachers to engage in risk-taking in 2 realms--conceptual and relational. Conceptual risk-taking involves grappling with ideas in…

In this article, we describe the promise of professional development for teachers by considering the following questions: (1) What do teachers who work in urban public schools see as the intended purposes of professional development, and what do they identify as their needs? (2) Can a move from professional development as absent of what teachers…

An integral part of a teacher learning continuum ranging from preservice education to professional development for experienced educators, new teacher induction holds particular potential to effect change in urban education. Accordingly, this article offers recommendations for induction-related policy and programming capable of supporting beginning…

This study presents the perspectives of a group of pre-service teacher candidates with a commitment to teach in urban public schools. Nineteen new teachers participated in this study and 14 of them identified as new teachers of Color. Their reflections on entering the teaching profession, teaching in urban schools, and qualities of good teaching…

This significantly revised edition will help prospective and new city teachers navigate the realities of city teaching. Now the classic introduction to urban teaching, this book explains how global, national, state, and local reforms have impacted what teachers need to know to not only survive, but to do their jobs well. The Third Edition melds…

Presented in this article is a case study of first-year teachers working in an urban school. Drawing on literature around the early-career experiences of teachers--including a unique vulnerability for emotional turbulence and belief change--this article examines the changing beliefs of brand new urban educators as they progress throughout their…

This article presents 7 years of qualitative research into the emerging understandings of a population of 456 beginning 7 to 12 urban teachers who supplied 130 participants who were enrolled in a total of 26 MSEd English Language Arts courses over 7 years. These were interviewed while teaching in urban schools focused primarily on testing and…

In this study, I explore the role of the "small schools" context on the development and learning of two first-year urban high school teachers with respect to equity-focused teaching. Analysis points to specific ways in which the small schools context fostered teaching for social justice: strong student-teacher relationships, interdisciplinary…

Within a two-year mixed method action research study, two cohorts of White senior preservice Art Educators reflected on anti-racist and anti-classist course materials and attended field experiences within urban schools. A majority of both cohorts identified systemic racism within social systems and language after engaging in course materials.…

In her new book, Valerie Kinloch, award-winning author of "Harlem on Our Minds", sheds light on the ways urban youth engage in "meaning-making" experiences as a way to assert critical, creative, and highly sophisticated perspectives on teaching, learning, and survival. Kinloch rejects deficit models that have traditionally…

Using a social justice orientation to teacher education and a sociocultural approach to learning, this exploratory study presents data from twenty pre-service urban teachers about their perceptions of and visions for teaching in urban schools. Findings reveal candidates' desires to care for and build relationships with urban youth as a foundation…

Urban schools reflect their surroundings. Urban areas are becoming characterized by great diversity in race and class as the racial and ethnic makeup of the United States changes. In most urban schools, where the majority of students are minorities and large numbers live in poverty, the teacher attrition rate ranges from 30% to 50% within the…

This article presents findings from a qualitative study of student teachers' opportunities to learn in and for urban, high-needs schools. The analysis builds on Darling-Hammond and Bransford's knowledge base for teaching framework to examine the role of student teaching in preparing teachers as equity-minded adaptive experts, equipped to work with…

This article explores experiences that led individuals to become teacher leaders advocating for under-served students in urban schools. Cohort members in an urban teacher leadership master's degree programme engaged in systematic critical reflection about becoming leaders for equity, describing the influences of their families and communities,…

Focusing on community as a key element in teacher education, this paper highlights the importance of new teachers embarking on their careers with a vision for social justice. Paying specific attention to the need for effective teachers in America's urban schools, the author stresses purposeful development of this vision for social justice…