URBAN SCHOOL CONTEXTS
What are the dynamics of urban schools and schooling?
Welch, R. & Walker Swain (2020). Educational Researcher, 49(2), 90-100.
This article does not claim to provide a definitive conceptualization but, rather, takes stock of existing conceptualization and offers research-based and empirically based perspectives that can advance the discourse on the definition of urban education.
RTI Action Network: A Program of the National Center for Learning Disabilities
In this three-part series, we present an overview of the issues most relevant to the development and implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) models in contemporary urban schools.
Brantlinger, A., Grant, A. A., Miller, J., Viviani, W., Cooley, L., & Griffin, M. (2020). Educational Policy, 1 (34).
New York City Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) has delivered on its promise of improving mathematics teacher diversity, preparedness, effectiveness, and retention in hard-to-staff city schools.
Bottiani, J. H., Duran, C. A., Pas, E. T., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2019). Journal of School Psychology, 77, 36-51.
Stress and burnout are pervasive among public school teachers and amplified in urban schools, where job demands are often high and resources low. Relatively little is known about factors contributing to stress and burnout among urban schoolteachers specifically, or how these aspects of teacher occupational wellbeing relate to their use of effective classroom practices.
Akin, I., & Radford, L. (2018). Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 11(1), 15-22.
Students who live in urban environments benefit from educators who offer social emotional support as well as academic support. The learning environment and teacher actions influence students’ short-term and long-term success. The data and information within this study highlights the student and teacher relationship experiences in urban learning environments, which can help determine future success in students who live and learn in urban settings.
Miller, L. A., & Harris, V. W. (2018). World Journal of Education, 8(3), 1-11.
Through the lens of critical race theory (CRT), beliefs often asserted by self-described, open-minded white educators about their students of color. While these teachers may perceive themselves as liberal and inclusive, their interactions with students of color are shrouded by white privilege which can be disenfranchising to students of color.
Massey, K. J., Warrington, A. S., & Holmes, K. (2014). Texas Education Review, 2(2), 173-183.
This paper is designed to provide insights into both the ever-shifting nature—as well as the trajectory of—urban education in the United States. We provide a brief historical synopsis, a contextualization of how education in urban settings is commonly constructed through popular discourses, and a discussion of how the definitions and perceptions of urban schools influence research and policy measures. Lastly, this paper offers a brief exploration of recent movements and complications concerning urban education reform.
Payzant, T. (2010). Jossey-Bass.
This important book, written by educational expert and urban school leader, Tom Payzant, offers a realistic understanding of what urban school leadership looks like from the inside. Payzant shares his first-hand knowledge of the unique managerial, instructional, and political tasks of this role. Effectively combining practical lessons and research, Urban School Leadership includes in-depth analysis of various leadership concerns. The book covers topics such as improving student achievement, working with unions, building community, and maintaining and developing resources. Most importantly, it offers stories of real school leaders whose successes and missteps reveal the inherent "messiness" of this difficult job.
Childress, S, Elmore, R., & Grossman. (2006). Harvard Business Review
Achieving excellence in every corner of even the largest urban districts is possible. Understanding what good management of an urban school system looks like, redefining the leadership role of the district office in creating a strategy for strengthening teaching and learning, and building an organization coherent with that strategy are the first steps.