Teachers in urban schools are often criticized for their inability to improve achievement of their students. Underachievement is especially a concern for low-income Black and Latino boys. Single-sex schools have opened to support them, but limited data is available to evaluate their effectiveness and little is known about the teaching practices within these schools. Between 2006-2009 data were collected in the Black and Latino School Intervention Study (BLMSIS) conducted by The Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University. These data were meant to contextualize the experiences of Black and Latino males in seven single-sex schools. Instructional data from three of the BLMSIS schools were utilized to better understand teaching in an urban, all-male context. Drawing from thirteen teacher interviews, six focus group interviews, and forty-nine classroom observations, data were analyzed to determine how teachers define the instructional needs of their students and to contextualize the practice exhibited by teachers in the classroom. Qualitative data analysis was used to describe the relationship between what teachers said students needed instructionally and teachers' practice in the study schools. Teachers reported that students needed rigorous and relevant curriculum and caring relationships. However, classroom observations in the three schools showed variation between these reported needs and teacher practice. Additionally, the majority of practices were teacher-centered and showed a lack of academic rigor. Though there were not enough data to generalize, this study begins to contextualize teacher practice, but future research is needed to understand what is impacting their practice and limiting their ability to provide instruction they know students need. [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.]