Teacher attrition rates are high in urban schools, particularly for new science teachers. Little research has addressed how science teachers can be prepared to effectively bridge the divide between preparation and urban teaching. We utilized the theoretical frameworks of social justice, identity, and structure-agency to investigate this…

Provides a conceptual framework for understanding what is involved in improving urban science teaching and what might be implied by conducting research on its improvement. Believes that three sets of forces and conditions have a direct impact on urban science classrooms. Suggests how this framework can direct research. (Contains 28 references.)…

Explores how sociocultural factors involved in the manifestation and eventual disappearance of the gap for these groups may shed light on how to address the achievement gap for African American students in urban science education. (Contains 47 references.) (DDR)

Presents a case analysis of the Miami-Dade Urban Systemic Initiative (MDUSI). Describes the development of a general framework for systemic reform that is used as a tool to examine the particulars of systemic reform initiatives and their potential to impact the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in diverse contexts. (Contains 27…

Reports on the results of case studies in two Ohio middle schools that employed a model known as the equity metric to identify factors affecting equity in urban science education reform. (Contains 33 references.) (DDR)

What teaching practices foster inquiry and promote students to learn challenging subject matter in urban schools? Inquiry-based instruction and successful inquiry learning and teaching in project-based science (PBS) were described in previous studies (Brown & Campione, [1990]; Crawford, [1999]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, Bass, & Fredricks,…

How do new teachers become confident and competent while they are interns in inner-city neighborhood schools challenged by many problems, often associated with economic shortfalls and cultural differences between the students and their teachers? Many science teacher education programs place a lot of emphasis on the planning stages of curriculum.…