The Research About Teacher Education (RATE) project is an ongoing data collection effort to establish a reliable database about institutions of higher education where teachers are prepared, and about the faculty, students, and programs at these institutions. This study on the preparation of teachers in urban settings collected data from 230 teacher educators, 220 students, and 52 deans or heads of education in 58 teacher education programs in cities belonging to the Council of Great City Schools. The study examined: working conditions of teacher education faculty; relationships with preschool, elementary, and secondary schools; indices of program quality and capacity for further renewal; programming for teaching in an urban setting; college selection and career orientation of the student sample; academic achievement and related accomplishments; and laboratory, clinical, and field experiences. Results indicated that: (1) almost 55 percent of faculty respondents were female and 15 percent were nonwhite; (2) over a third of prospective teachers reported an "A" high school grade average; (3) over 90 percent of students rated their preparation above average; (4) 51 percent viewed their education courses as intellectually demanding as their noneducation courses; (5) education heads and faculty reported willingness by major urban districts to cooperate with them on teacher education matters; (6) many preservice teachers preferred not to teach in an inner-city context; and (7) further attrition and diminishment of what was a weak laboratory and clinical base in teacher preparation was found. Appendixes list institutions participating in the study and RATE Research Team members. (JDD)