Preparing teachers of at-risk students in urban schools is examined, focusing on the issues raised in teaching disadvantaged students and the problems of teaching in an urban school system. The broad thesis underlying the discussion is that to fulfill human potential, society must have the widest and most popular forms of political freedom and…

This book reports an ethnographic study, conducted over 2 years, of 30 teachers from 18 schools (preschool through high school), who participated in a staff development program in multicultural education. Observations and interviews indicate how multicultural education was actually presented to the teachers, and how their perceptions and teaching…

School-initiated activities to change the home educational environment can strongly influence student learning, even in schools serving low-income and minority families. This sourcebook shows various ways that schools can take the initiative in reaching out and working with families as equal partners; and explores how family life, school programs,…

TO IMPROVE EDUCATION IN NEW YORK CITY, THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF A GROUP OF EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS INCLUDED (1) GIVING NEW TEACHERS BETTER ORIENTATION, EASIER-TO TEACH CLASSES, AND REDUCED CLERICAL WORK, (2) WEEKLY JOINT PLANNING BY ALL TEACHERS ON A GRADE LEVEL, (3) CLOSER SUPERVISION OF PRINCIPALS BY ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS, (4) THE…

The Urban Teacher Program (UTP) is the result of a collaboration between Wayne County Community College (WCCC), Wayne State University (Michigan), and Eastern Michigan University. It was created to recruit, educate, and prepare minority students for teaching careers in urban elementary schools, where learning is hindered by violence and lack of…

Compared the problem-solving and computational skills of first-grade students whose teachers had participated in staff development to learn to teach using a Cognitively Guided Instruction framework to first-grade students whose teachers had not. Students in experimental classes performed significantly better in solving word problems and completing…

Describes experiences of the first year of the Quality Urban Elementary School Teachers (QUEST) program, a field-based program of teacher preparation for working in urban schools. The focus through three case studies is on how the undergraduates in the program begin to develop into competent and community-conscious teachers. (SLD)

Study examined the intended planning and teaching decisions of 11 secondary physical education teachers to determine their rationale and goals for a socially focused curriculum. Results suggested teachers' goals for student learning were consistent with an emphasis on social responsibility within the categories of understanding, respect, and…

This qualitative study was designed to strengthen the voice of urban practitioners in the scholarly debate regarding issues in urban teaching. Interviews were conducted with urban special education teachers, general education teachers, and principals from 23 urban school districts across the country. These three groups of educators identified…

The reform of teacher education at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has proceeded from a collective commitment to developing a unified framework for the preparation of early childhood, primary/middle, and special education teachers for urban schools. The new program, Collaborative Teacher Education for Urban Communities, integrates…

This sourcebook is designed to give urban educators new information and strategies for working with parents of elementary school students through grade 6. Its five workshops explore how family life, school programs, teacher practices, and district policies can help build school-family partnerships for learning. Threaded through these workshops are…

Research on microcomputers in education suggests that this new technology may be widening the gap between rich and poor schools and talented and underachieving students. Public schools in poor districts and small parochial schools are the least likely to own computers. One survey indicates that while 66 percent of affluent school districts have…

In February, 1985, the Ford Foundation launched an experimental program to strengthen mathematics education in inner-city high schools. Five grants helped establish urban mathematics collaboratives (UMC) in Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Later, additional UMCs were set up in Durham, Memphis, New…

In order to collect data supportive of the development of new curriculum and curriculum materials for use in the preparation of teachers to work with disadvantaged children, a study was conducted to determine the type and extent of problems perceived by teachers as they teach in inner-city or "ghetto" schools. Each of 12 school district…

An examination of classroom behavior, teaching methods, materials, equipment, and administrative practices in a junior high school reading and speech improvement class, in a senior high school communication skills course for low achievers, and in an English class for high achievers revealed that (1) shifting populations result in transiency,…