Showing papers in "Urban Education in 1999"

Toward a Critical Race Pedagogy: A Research Note.

Abstract: This article explores the connectivity of research and theories of African American emancipatory pedagogy to Critical Race Theory (CRT). In doing so, the guiding principles and maxims of CRT as an ...

The Effects of Religious Commitment on the Academic Achievement of Black and Hispanic Children

Abstract: Using the National Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS) data set from the 1988 to 1992 period, this study assessed the effects of student religious commitment on the academic achievement of Black and Hispanic children. The results indicate that religiously committed Black and Hispanic children performed better on most academic measures than their less religious counterparts, even when controlling for socioeconomic status, gender, and whether the student attended a private religious school. These results suggest that when researchers study the effects of religion on the academic achievement of children, the nature of the school should be considered but also the religious nature of many of the Black and Hispanic students. The significance of these results is discussed.

Investing in teaching and learning: Dynamics of the teacher-student relationship from each actor's perspective

Abstract: This article integrates findings from three independent studies (one national quantitative and two urban qualitative) to analyze two aspects of the teacher-student relationship: (a) how teachers and students each view their mutual relationship and (b) how this relationship affects students’subsequent academic performance. All three studies corroborate the significant finding that teachers base their educational expectations heavily on students’ test scores, whereas the students shape their own educational expectations largely from their perceptions of their teachers’ expectations as well as their test scores. Teachers’ reliance on test scores masks racial differences in their expectations, which students may perceive as racism.

Culturally Diverse High-Achieving Students in an Urban High School:

Abstract: Many high ability students from culturally diverse populations exist in large economically deprived urban environments and they are often included in the statistical reports of high school dropouts. A 3-year investigation of the culture of highability, high-achieving students in an urban high school was undertaken by researchers from the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Through ethnographic interviews and case study methods, descriptions emerged of culturally diverse teenagers who achieved in an urban high school. Specific factors that enabled these students to succeed included: the development of a belief in self, supportive adults, interaction with a network of high-achieving peers, extracurricular activities, challenging classes such as honors classes, personal characteristics such as motivation and resilience, and family support. The findings of the study offer educators useful suggestions and strategies for addressing the academic needs of talented youth in an urban setting.

In their Own Voices: An Ethnographic Study of Low-Achieving Students within the Context of School Reform

Abstract: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to investigate the causes of school failure from a student perspective. Interviews were conducted with 40 students who were experiencing academic difficul...

The Race Factor in African Americans’ College Choice:

Abstract: In this Spencer postdoctoral funded, qualitative inquiry across a range of cities, schools, and family circumstances, African American high school students were given the opportunity to voice their perceptions of the influences on African Americans’college choice—their decision making to participate or not to participate in higher education. The study concludes that to address the issues relating to African Americans’college choice, there is a great need to better understand these factors within a racial/cultural context.

A Pillar of Strength An African American School’s Communal Bonds with Families and Community Since Brown

Abstract: From an in-depth qualitative study in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1994 to 1997, this article highlights how one all-Black school creates and sustains strong communal bonds with African American families from a low-income community. Reminiscent of the “goodness” of many all-Black schools before Brown, this school—Fairmont Elementary—sustains strong communal bonds with families and is a stabilizing force for the community. The message gleaned from this study of Fairmont Elementary School is that the “goodness” of a school for African American families and students may also be defined by the strength and the nature of that school’s communal bonds with Black families and communities.

Risk Factors for School Violence

Abstract: This article reviews the history of violence in the schools, which is of significant concern, particularly in urban areas. Types and frequencies of violence in schools are presented, along with stu...

Realities of Teaching in Racially/Ethnically Diverse Schools Feedback from Entry-Level Teachers

Abstract: This study identified similarities and differences among two groups of entry-level teachers from 10 different teacher-preparation institutions (N = 1,700)—those who began their careers in racially/ethnically diverse schools (25% or more racial minority students) and those who taught in schools with low levels of racial/ethnic diversity (10% or fewer racial minority students). Although the two groups did not differ on most measures, beginning teachers in high diversity schools did report (a) lower levels of job satisfaction, (b) greater difficulties in establishing meaningful relations with students, and (c) higher levels of complexity in the teaching environment.

Negotiating Social Differences Youths’ Assessments of Educators’ Strategies

Abstract: Many have described the opposition youths from stigmatized social groups may develop toward school. This study focuses alternatively on interactional, pedagogical, and curricular actions that stigmatized high school students perceive as affecting their willingness to adapt to varied classrooms. Interview, observation, and record data from 49 students illustrate that stigmatized youths prefer teachers who give personal attention to students, who convey respect for and confidence in students who are socially different from themselves, and who support and elicit student voice and input. Youths also express strong distaste for lecturing and seat-work and prefer personally relevant curriculum.

Schooling and Delinquency among White and African American Adolescents

Abstract: Adolescent delinquency may be a likely consequence of negative school experiences, including poor academic performance, low class attendance, and dropping out. Given disparate experiences that African American and White students often encounter in school, this investigation examined the link between delinquency and school behaviors separately for White and African American males at risk for delinquency. In addition, it asked whether school experiences are equally related to both minor and more severe forms of criminal behavior. Results indicated that class attendance was related to higher incidence of both minor and serious delinquency. For African American adolescents, poor school grades and dropping out of school were predictive of both types of delinquency. The insignificant relationship between delinquency and school failure for White adolescents may be partially attributed to an economic safety net that provides assistance for White students who fall from the educational system. The importance of suc...

Designing Successful Service Learning Projects for Urban Schools

Abstract: This research compares the strengths and weaknesses of 10 different service learning projects at six high schools in one urban school district. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data, the study examines critical design elements in developing service learning programs that produce positive attitudinal outcomes for students. Results indicate that students had more positive attitudes toward their academic achievement, self-esteem, teachers, and peers when they participated in programs that rated highly on the four design criteria: duration, location, amount of personal contact with beneficiaries, and focus of the project.

Chartering the Village: The Making of an African-Centered Charter School

Abstract: This article is the preliminary descriptive report of a 5-year qualitative research study—an ethnography of an independent African-centered charter school. The purpose of the study is to determine ...

What Can We Learn from the Data? Toward a Better Understanding of the Effects of Multitrack Year-Round Schooling.

Abstract: This study compares student academic and nonacademic outcomes between year-round and traditional calendar schools in a metropolitan district with 36% of its 31,500 elementary students in multi-track year-round schools (YRS). A regression analysis taking socioeconomic status into consideration showed, over 6 years, 4% of YRS scores and 21% of traditional school scores below their respective state predicted ranges. No significant differences in nonacademic outcomes were found between the two school calendars. Interviews with teachers and administrators in six matched schools suggested that changes in organizational arrangements, social climate, and conceptions of curriculum and instruction helped to explain better academic achievement in YRS.

Am I Invited? Perspectives of Family Involvement with Technology in Inner-City Schools

Abstract: This article reports on an investigation of African American families’ perceptions and experiences in an after-school family-school involvement program at two inner-city schools. Centered in the sphere of sociocultural theory and situated cognition, this study focuses on family-child relationships to improve children’s literacy using oral histories and technology. It also explores a model for preparing preservice teachers to work with families. Families indicated that prior to program implementation, they had received bureaucratic invitations of school involvement and empathized with other families’ lack of involvement. After program implementation, families reported positive academic outcomes for children, a sense of efficacy, and a community atmosphere of adults dedicated to supporting children’s learning. They noted that computer usage was a major motivational factor in their participation. Preservice teachers reported on broadened notions of family involvement and a need for family-school partnerships. Theoretical and practical implications for implementing a family-school involvement program are offered.

"It's Going Good": Inner-City Black and Latino Adolescents' Perceptions about Achieving an Education.

Abstract: This article is based on in-depth interviews conducted with 39 inner-city Black and Latino adolescent students who were involved in a precollege tutorial academic program. The focus of this article...

Redefining Education Regimes and Reform: The Political Role of Governors

Abstract: Governors across the country are playing a more important role in steering education policy than in the past. In our nine-state study of the politics of education from 1995 to 1997, the authors observed governors putting forward major reforms from vouchers to state standards and forming important coalitions with the business community and religious groups. Professional organizations, which have monopolized decision making in education for years, were forced to adjust to these new participants. Charter schools were strongly supported by most governors; they particularly appreciated the competition and local aspects of this reform. Overall, they showed little interest in compensatory funding for city schools, and school finance equity was only an interest if pressure came from property-poor suburbs. Urban schools are in dire need of more equitable and creative reform efforts, but this seems unlikely in the current political climate.

Computer-Assisted Learning in Urban Classrooms: The Impact of Politics, Race, and Class

Abstract: This article uses data from 54 urban school districts to test hypotheses explaining the integration of computer technology into the classroom. Surprisingly, the authors find no statistically signif...

Neighborhood Schools Again? Race, Educational Interest, and Traditional Values

Abstract: As court-ordered busing for school desegregation comes to an end, school boards are faced with strong public pressures to return to neighborhood schools. Analysis of public opinion data from Nashville, Tennessee, indicates a division between two broad constituencies. Individuals who favor neighborhood schools are drawn from those with traditional religious values: They support school prayer and creationism but abhor diversity in schools. Those who reject neighborhood schools and prefer better academic programs at schools farther away tend to be those of childbearing age but without children, those with children already in public schools, and those who are better educated. Surprisingly, race and racial attitudes are not significantly related to a preference for neighborhood schools. The authors conclude that the dynamics of educational policy in Nashville have undergone a significant transformation: Previous Black-White struggles have been replaced by shifting coalitions that extend across racial lines.

Our Known Everydayness: Beyond a Response to White Privilege

Abstract: Our survival as African American women in a large, predominantly White research university has depended on us creating a time and space for sharing our daily experiences. In understanding the role ...

Promoting Entrepreneurship among Inner-City High School Students Does it Improve Student Outcomes?

Abstract: This article presents findings from an evaluation of an entrepreneurship and community economic development initiative implemented in three Chicago public high schools. Assistance in program implem...

Now You See It; Now You Don't: A District's Short-Lived Commitment to an Alternative High School for Newly Arrived Immigrants.

Abstract: This article describes the response of one East Coast, urban high school district to the unexpected enrollment of large numbers of newly arrived immigrants who had not yet acquired basic literacy skills in any language. The analysis focuses on the district-level decision-making processes that led to the implementation of an alternative school for these students and its abrupt closure a year later, examines the ways in which various participants experienced and interpreted the consequences of these decisions within the complex social system of the district, and explores the implications of these findings for policy and practice.

Book Review Essay

Abstract: Although it seems to stop no one from trying, Susan Follett Lu si’s (1997) conclusion is nevertheless apt: “No one knows exactly how to bring complex reform about” (p. 170). Reforming schools has been steady work at all levels of the education system since at least the early 1980s. Until recently, however, state departments of education (SDEs) have been at the trailing edge of reforms. No longer backwaters of monitoring and regulation, SDEs in several states have positioned themselves as leaders of education reform. Lusi’s book is one of the few that takes us deeply inside the worlds of SDEs. Using the Kentucky and Vermont departments of education as case studies, Lusi helps readers understand the complexity of SDEs’work as they negotiate changes in schools and in their own organizational structures and practices. The organizational analysis Lusi uses to analyze changes in the SDEs is crisp and thoughtful. No analytic approach, however, can serve every need. Given the limits of an organizational perspective and the complexity of an SDE’s mission, it is no surprise that some pieces of Lusi’s analysis seem underdeveloped. As a complement to her valuable study, then, I offer two examples where analysis from a different perspective—one that views policy making and policy enactment as an issue of teaching and learning—raises addi tional issues. Susan Lusi’s compact book packs a punch. In just more than 200 pages (including references), she presents case studies of school re form in two states, Kentucky and Vermont. She gives most attention to action at the state level by devoting separate chapters to the his tory of and impetus for reform in each state and to descriptions of

Book Review Essay

Abstract: This insightful and thought-provoking book challenges com monly held assumptions about the nature and process of violence in inner-city schools. The central thesis is that urban school violence in a postmodern society is produced by the absence of the gaze, that is, teachers’ tendency to ignore student transgressions and avoid conflict. Moreover, the author argues, the traditional studentteacher nexus has withered away with a “technosecurity apparatus” carrying out the principal function of disciplining students. Teachers have been assigned a sovereign cognitive role while delegating to low-skilled security forces the responsibility for supervising the “body,” controlling student behavior, and managing school discipline (p. 2).Maximum Securityoffers a fresh and bold approach to the issue of school violence. This work provides a depth of understanding of school violence that in my view overcomes the limitations of linguistic, psychosocial, social reproduction, and structural explanations. Devine’s opening chapter sets the stage for his penetrating syn thesis of school violence by introducing two competing discourses in school violence. The first discourse characterizes inner-city schools as anarchic. Similar to “blaming the victim,” students, par ents, and indolent principals are seen as responsible for the perils that besiege inner-city schools. At the other end of the pendulum, the epidemic of school violence is flatly denied. The discourse of de nial, he argues, camouflages the pervasiveness of school violence. In the first chapter, Devine provides a panoramic view of the public schools in New York City. He defines lower-tier schools characterized by their large size, overcrowding, and location in