January 8, 1998
Education Week, Vol. 17, Issue 17
Education
Barriers to Success
Simply put, the problems confronting urban school districts
are bigger, costlier, more numerous, and tougher to overcome
than those facing most rural and suburban systems.
Education
Pathways to Progress
No one says it's going to be easy, but here are a dozen ideas that many educators and policymakers believe are the solutions that will help urban schools turn the corner.
Education
The Urban Challenge
If one school can succeed under the worst conditions, with the neediest children, how can others be permitted to fail?
Education
Cleveland: A Study in Crisis
The city's vaunted downtown renaissance has yet to touch its public schools, and local and state leaders have turned to drastic measures in efforts to reverse decades of failure.
Education
High Schools: No Quick Fixes
San Diego’s Hoover High wins plaudits for its innovative programs, but shows up on a list of the city’s low-performing schools--a revealing tale of the crisis in urban high schools.
Education
Politics and Governance
In too many city school systems, adult interests come first and students’ second.
Education
Access to Resources
Given the compelling need of so many city students and the push to hold schools more accountable for achievement, some argue that urban schools deserve a greater share of public resources. That argument has yet to persuade many policymakers.
Education
School Climate
Parents want their children to go to school in a place where they will be safe, and where the environment is focused on teaching and learning. Many such schools exist in our big cities. But not enough.
Education
Doing Whatever It Takes
At E.J. Scott Elementary in Houston, a relentless focus on student achievement and high standards has created what researchers say is a model of a successful urban school.
Education
The Teaching Challenge
Finding highly qualified teachers for the students who need them most is a difficult problem. Not
enough college students want to teach in big cities, and few education schools focus on preparing teachers for urban classrooms.
Education
Concentrated Poverty
The biggest challenge facing U.S. cities and their school systems is concentrated poverty. In poor neighborhoods, the deck is stacked against children from the moment they are born. The odds are higher that they will have lower-than-normal birth weights, lack access to regular medical care, live in a household headed by a single mother, become a victim of crime, have a parent who never finished high school, become pregnant before reaching adulthood, and drop out of school.
Education
The Achievement Gap
The numbers tell a sad and alarming story: Most 4th graders who live in U.S. cities can’t read and understand a simple children’s book, and most 8th graders can’t use arithmetic to solve a practical problem.