Just a few years ago, Boston's Clarence Edwards Middle School was on the verge of being shut down. By 2009, a renaissance at the Edwards made it one of the highest performing and most desired middle schools in Boston, dramatically narrowing and even eliminating academic achievement gaps while delivering a far more well-rounded education to its…

The study examined the professional development system of an early childhood education program which was influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach to early learning. This multi-site program thrived within low-income, inner-city communities of Chicago. Literature connected to the program's historical context of the Settlement House and the Reggio…

An inner-city Maryland school that serves 610 students coming from 37 different countries and speaking 25 different languages has created a caring, inclusive community by providing kids with incentives, stability, and a chance to celebrate their various cultures at a community exhibition center. Dedicated staff accept no excuses for truancy and…

The Public Policy and Public Schools Program was developed to educate urban, low-income parents about the administration, curriculum, organization, legal structure, and finances of their children's schools. The program has increased parental involvement in local boards of education, school committees, and advocacy groups. Sample program activities…

This paper presents a site and project description and the conceptual framework of the Curriculum Articulation Project (CAP) and its relation to current math and science education reform initiatives. CAP is based on the notion that the teacher is the best individual to ascertain the learning needs of the urban, and often economically…

From April 1971 to December 1974, a career education project for elementary and secondary grades was conducted in a lower income area of urban Chicago. The general objectives involved the development of a guidance program, integration of occupational information into the classroom, skills training, placement, and attitude adjustment. Career…

The Success for All elementary school restructuring program attempts to ensure that all students in high poverty schools will be at or near grade level in basic skills by the end of the third grade and will maintain or better that standing through the rest of their elementary school careers. The program emphasizes prevention and early…

This report describes a study of the planning, development, and implementation of the first 61 Chapter 1 schoolwide projects established in 1989 in the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District, and presents case studies of 6 of those schools. Schools in which 75 percent or more of the students are from low-income families can choose to spend…

This volume offers the analysis and suggestions for reform of leading educational experts on the topic of education in the inner cities. An introduction provides an overview of the problems of American education and a proposed solution: educational choice. The 12 chapters are as follows: (1) "The Public School Monopoly: America's Berlin…

Families in urban areas struggle with drug abuse, poverty, increasing housing costs, and lack of affordable child care. The challenges confronting urban schools include a higher dropout rate, higher youth unemployment, and the need to address a variety of special needs of their student population, such as programs for pregnant students, dropouts,…

This paper reports on a study of the Houston (Texas) Independent School District's Lighted Schoolhouse Program, which is designed to serve as an intermediary between homeless children and community service agencies, to provide a range of after-school activities for unattended children, and to provide opportunities for participation of families and…

This pilot-year report comments on the efficiency and current status of strategies for improved urban education. By pooled judgement and survey methodologies, program data from thirty cities, student interviews from site visits, and study team observations of five city districts (Atlanta, Dallas, Milwaukee, Oakland and Toledo) are examined. Urban…