In this article, Lauren Anderson takes an inductive approach to the study of teacher agency, specifically considering who supports teachers, and how, in their efforts to advance equity in urban, high-needs schools. Drawing from a larger research project, Anderson focuses on a multiyear case study of one early-career teacher and incorporates social…

Purpose: This paper seeks to report on the evaluation of Zippy's Friends, an international emotional wellbeing programme, for primary school children in disadvantaged schools in Ireland. The paper aims to present case studies of the profile and ethos of two specific schools participating in the programme, their links with the local community, the…

Immigration presents both challenges and opportunities that affect students' academic achievement. Over the course of five years, varying academic trajectories were identified for recent immigrant students from Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico. Latent class growth curve analysis revealed that although some students…

This article explores central elements that facilitate successful mathematics professional development in urban secondary schools through a case study of one long-term effort. The following research question guided this study: How can schools structure professional development that supports teacher learning and addresses the complex realities of…

This article examines school response to bullying and youth aggression in upper/middle-class and low socioeconomic neighborhoods, and the feasibility of successfully implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in schools located in impoverished communities. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is one of the few programs that has proven…

This exploratory pilot study investigates the extent to which participating in a community cultural development (CCD) initiative builds social capital among children. An independent youth arts organisation implemented two cultural activities, developing a compact disc of original music and designing mosaic artworks for a library courtyard, in two…

Regardless of incomes, education, and performance at the school, say the authors, parents believe that their involvement is central to their child's academic success. What parents need is an access point that many are not finding. Selected reported findings include: (1)) Parents see a more demanding world: (2) Parents share high aspirations for…

This article explores the documented degree of the destruction triggered by Hurricane Katrina, the impact on the Orleans Parish School District (OPSD), and the efforts that have been made to recover, rebuild, and reopen the public schools. Using a framework that examines historical inequalities and long-term neglect of OPSD schools pre-Katrina,…

On October 4, 2007, a trial level court in New Jersey dismissed "Crawford v. Davy", a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of 60,000 schoolchildren throughout the state seeking the court's authority to leave schools that fail to educate their students. By filing suit, plaintiff schoolchildren had hoped to be transferred to an alternative…

California's students, particularly its poorest students, need great teachers. Unfortunately, California's seniority-based teacher layoff system puts adult privileges over student needs. Newer teachers are laid off first, regardless of how well they do their jobs. This system is especially damaging to schools serving the highest numbers of…

This brief presents findings from several Chapin Hall studies on vulnerable children and youth to raise the issue of what it would mean to improve academic achievement in underperforming schools. Vulnerable children and youth are those who experience crises or disruptions in their lives, often accompanied by parental absence or inability to meet…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between school-based organizational structures that support teachers' development of Personalized Education Plans (PEPs) and their quality as written for third through fifth grade students in each of two Title I schools. A causal comparative design was implemented. Teachers' responses…

Research on teaching and learning indicates that all students should be provided with programs, services, and teachers that engage them in rigorous academic work and promote deep disciplinary knowledge and higher order thinking skills (Walqui, 2006; Sanders & Rivers, 1996). Despite research findings on the importance of high quality teachers…

Two years ago, only 150 students attended Holabird Elementary, then a K-5 school in the southeastern corner of this city. Competition from charters and from regular public schools in nearby Baltimore County had drained families from Holabird, a chronic underperformer. So when Andres A. Alonso, the chief executive officer of the Baltimore city…