Download or read book Improving Urban Schools written by Chance W. Lewis and published by IAP. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has been diversely defined by various researchers (e.g. Buck Institute, 2003; Capraro & Slough, 2009; Scott, 2009; Wolf, 2008), during the last decade, STEM education has gained an increasing presence on the national agenda through initiatives from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES). The rate of technological innovation and change has been tremendous over the past ten years, and this rapid increase will only continue. STEM literacy is the power to “identify, apply, and integrate concepts from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to understand complex problems and to innovate to solve them” (Washington State STEM, 2011, Internet). In order for U.S. students to be on the forefront of this revolution, ALL of our schools need to be part of the STEM vision and guide students in acquiring STEM literacy. Understanding and addressing the challenge of achieving STEM literacy for ALL students begins with an understanding of its element and the connections between them. In order to remain competitive, the Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy has recommended that the US optimize “its knowledge-based resources, particularly in science and technology” (National Academies, 2007, p. 4). Optimizing knowledge-based resources needs to be the goal but is also a challenge for ALL educators (Scheurich & Huggins, 2009). Regardless, there is little disagreement that contemporary society is increasingly dependent on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and thus comprehensive understandings are essential for those pursuing STEM careers. It is also generally agreed that PK-12 students do not do well in STEM areas, both in terms of national standards and in terms of international comparisons (Kuenzi, Matthews, & Mangan, 2006; Capraro, Capraro, Yetkiner, Corlu, Ozel, Ye, & Kim, 2011). The question then becomes what might PK-12 schools do to improve teachers’ and students’ STEM knowledge and skills? This book will look at equity and access issues in STEM education from PK-12, university, and administrative and policy lenses.
Download or read book Improving the Urban High School written by Karen Seashore Louis and published by George Scheer & Associates. This book was released on 1990 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research-based book provides clear information about what urban high schools in the US are now doing to improve in light of recent school reform reports. The main theme is the need for school-based leadership and management. An overview of current programmes and problems is also included.
Download or read book Urban High School Students and the Challenge of Access written by Julia E. Colyar and published by Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers. This book was released on 2006 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Textbook
Download or read book Failing at School written by Camille A. Farrington and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roughly half of all incoming ninth graders across urban districts will fail classes and drop out of school without a diploma. Failing at School starts with the premise that urban American high schools generate such widespread student failure not because of some fault of the students who attend them but because high schools were designed to stratify achievement and let only the top performers advance to higher levels of education. This design is particularly detrimental for low-income, racial/ethnic minority students. To get different results, Farrington proposes fundamental changes based on what we now know about how students learn, what motivates them to engage in learning, and what kinds of educational systems and structures would best support their learning. “This is a groundbreaking and eye-opening study because it does what few studies of high school truly do: get inside the hearts and minds of teen-agers and show what their experience of school looks and feels like to them. The analysis of students who fail is revealing and powerful. There are poignant and revealing stories of just how a few student mistakes or teacher insensitivities lead to unfortunate and long-lasting results. More importantly, these case studies, their nuances, and their implications take us beyond the clichés and simplistic theories about schools and reform. Most importantly, we read of tangible and intelligent solutions that can be instituted, based on the facts on the ground. I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in getting beyond the typical talking points of school reform.” —Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education “Camille Farrington details how high schools trap students along developmental trajectories distorted by structural factors—resources, values and practices—beyond their control. Grounded firmly in research, she describes a better way forward. This book is an important contribution to the re-visioning of American high schools.” —Ronald F. Ferguson, faculty director, Achievement Gap Initiative, Harvard University "Why is there such a pattern of failure in urban high schools? This is a vital issue for every city in America. Camille Farrington’s analysis of the roots of this problem and suggestions for structural changes to break this cycle is the best I have seen. This book combines research and practitioner wisdom with common sense and heart, and for those of us engaged in this work, presents concrete directions for positive change.” —Ron Berger, chief academic officer, Expeditionary Learning Book Features: Offers concrete strategies for redesigning high schools based on four dimensions of student achievement—structural, academic, developmental, and motivational. Highlights the voices of students to illustrate fundamental problems with the way we currently “do school.” Addresses the new Common Core State Standards and the potential of this major reform effort to move us toward equity and excellence. Camille A. Farrington is a research associate (assistant professor) at The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and the Consortium on Chicago School Research and director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment for the Network for College Success.
Download or read book Leadership in America s Best Urban Schools written by Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-02-03 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leadership in America’s Best Urban Schools describes and demystifies the qualities that successful leaders rely on to make a difference at all levels of urban school leadership. Grounded in research, this volume reveals the multiple challenges that real urban elementary, middle, and high schools face as well as the catalysts for improvement. This insightful resource explores the critical leadership characteristics found in high-performing urban schools and gives leaders the tools to move their schools to higher levels of achievement for all students—but especially for those who are low-income, English-language learners, and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. In shining a light on the essential qualities for exceptional leadership at all levels of urban schools, this book is a valuable guide for all educators and administrators to nurture, influence, support, and sustain excellence and equity at their schools.
Download or read book Improving the Urban High School written by Karen Seashore Louis and published by Burns & Oates. This book was released on 1990 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban high schools are in trouble. Pupils are seriously under-achieving or dropping out, buildings are decaying, teachers are frustrated and parents are desperate. What's to be done? Louis and Miles focus on five in-depth case studies of urban schools. In each case, the authors describe the actions of the school staff and how they achieved success.
Download or read book Improving Urban Middle Schools written by L. Mickey Fenzel and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2009-02-12 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A look at Nativity schools, alternative middle schools that have had great success educating at-risk, urban students.
Download or read book EBOOK Improving Urban Schools Leadership and Collaboration written by Mel Ainscow and published by McGraw-Hill Education (UK). This book was released on 2006-03-16 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The improvement of urban schools is one of the major challenges facing practitioners and policy-makers today. Issues related to poverty create particular difficulties in urban schools, and the emphasis on market-led improvement strategies has tended to add to these challenges. In addition, strategies for ‘raising standards’, as measured by aggregate test and examination results, can result in marginalisation or exclusion of some groups of learners. Drawing on research evidence, Improving Urban Schools addresses the question of how primary and secondary urban schools can be improved in a more inclusive way. The authors argue that urban schools and their communities have within them expertise that tends to be overlooked, and latent creativity that should be mobilised to move thinking and progress forward. They show that new approaches to leadership, various forms of collaborative school-to-school partnerships, and major changes in national policy development are needed to make use of this untapped energy. The book includes vivid accounts of these activities to shed light on what really happens in urban schools, and presents practical strategies for school leaders and practitioners who want to make a difference in urban schools.
Download or read book The Urban School System of the Future written by Andy Smarick and published by R&L Education. This book was released on 2012-10-12 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than two generations, the traditional urban school system—the district—has utterly failed to do its job: prepare its students for a lifetime of success. Millions and millions of boys and girls have suffered the grievous consequences. The district is irreparably broken. For the sake of today’s and tomorrow’s inner-city kids, it must be replaced. The Urban School System of the Future argues that vastly better results can be realized through the creation of a new type of organization that properly manages a city’s portfolio of schools using the revolutionary principles of chartering. It will ensure that new schools are regularly created, that great schools are expanded and replicated, that persistently failing schools are closed, and that families have access to an array of high-quality options. This new entity will focus exclusively on school performance, meaning, among other things, our cities can thoughtfully integrate their traditional public, charter public, and private schools into a single, high-functioning k-12 system. For decades, the district has produced the most heartbreaking results for already at-risk kids. The Urban School System of the Future explains how we can finally turn the tide and create dynamic, responsive, high-performing, self-improving urban school systems that fulfill the promise of public education.
Download or read book When Middle Class Parents Choose Urban Schools written by Linn Posey-Maddox and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2014-03-18 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades a growing number of middle-class parents have considered sending their children to—and often end up becoming active in—urban public schools. Their presence can bring long-needed material resources to such schools, but, as Linn Posey-Maddox shows in this study, it can also introduce new class and race tensions, and even exacerbate inequalities. Sensitively navigating the pros and cons of middle-class transformation, When Middle-Class Parents Choose Urban Schools asks whether it is possible for our urban public schools to have both financial security and equitable diversity. Drawing on in-depth research at an urban elementary school, Posey-Maddox examines parents’ efforts to support the school through their outreach, marketing, and volunteerism. She shows that when middle-class parents engage in urban school communities, they can bring a host of positive benefits, including new educational opportunities and greater diversity. But their involvement can also unintentionally marginalize less-affluent parents and diminish low-income students’ access to the improving schools. In response, Posey-Maddox argues that school reform efforts, which usually equate improvement with rising test scores and increased enrollment, need to have more equity-focused policies in place to ensure that low-income families also benefit from—and participate in—school change.
Download or read book Improving Urban Science Education written by Kenneth George Tobin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2005 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a result of my childhood questions about myself as I wondered how did I appear to be myself suddenly with hardly any past recollection and I wondered about my understanding of my own experiences in my life and things of that nature. I wanted to look beyond the 'Creator's wish' part, a prevalent mode of resignation of the thought process, to find a logical and scientific explanation by myself through reading. Eventually I developed the wisdom that the answer lies in the understanding of the brain. When I realized that it is my brain that is somehow generating all my experiences for me, it led to a pretty engrossing experience trying to understand it since. Since this is a book about the brain, I thought it was necessary to discuss the fundamental aspect of its structure. However, I only laid a gross picture with broad strokes only after briefly discussing the highlights of the history of evolution of the brain. Then I tried to address some of the big questions like the consciousness and the generation of the mind and self from a neurological point of view. I went ahead and discussed the mechanism of some of the attributes of self as well. Some of the functional aspects are elucidated as how we fall in love or how we navigate directions and so forth. Computation is the basis by which the brain derives its conclusions. The plasticity of the brain enables us to learn new skills. The genetic aspect cannot be overemphasized. I have included some fascinating data that has recently been found out in these regards. Psychiatric illnesses always fascinated me. I have discussed the genetic basis and pathophysiology of a few of them, like Depression, Alzheimer's disease, etc. The whole book is written on the basis of the latest findings by dedicated professionals. Here I am like a collector who has put all this in a concise deliberation to share my own understandings regarding what it takes for each of us to be the way we are.
Download or read book Powerful Reforms with Shallow Roots written by Larry Cuban and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drastic reform measures are being implemented in growing numbers of urban communities as the public’s patience has finally run out with perpetually nonperforming public schools. This authoritative and eye-opening volume examines governance changes in six cities during the 1990s, where either mayoral control of schools has occurred or where noneducators have been appointed to lead school districts. Featuring up-close, in-depth case studies of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, Boston, San Diego, and Seattle, this book explores the reasons why these cities chose to alter their traditional school governance structures and analyzes what happened when the reforms were implemented and whether or not teachers and students performed better because of them. “Provides useful perspectives on the complexities of educational change that is relevant to all kinds of school systems . . . of interest to elected officials, other policymakers, business leaders, and educators.” —Richard W. Riley, Former U.S. Secretary of Education “A ‘must-read’ for policymakers intent on improving the academic performance of children in America’s urban centers . . . offers important insight and an excellent overview of the reforms being tested in the six urban centers.” —Ted Sanders, President, Education Commission of the States “Every urban political official, indeed, every governor, business leader, and state legislator should study the urban school reforms described in this book” —James B. Hunt, Jr., Former Governor of North Carolina and Chairman, James B. Hunt Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy “A ‘must-read’ for educators. This book clearly defines what it takes to make significant changes in urban districts” —Floretta McKenzie, Former Superintendent, District of Columbia Public Schools
Download or read book Teaching Practices from America s Best Urban Schools written by Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-08-16 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the teaching practices that make the biggest difference in student performance! This practical, research-based book gives principals, teachers, and school administrators a direct, inside look at instructional practices from top award-winning urban schools. The authors provide detailed examples and analyses of these practices, and successfully demystify the achievement of these schools. They offer practical guides to help educators apply these successful practices in their own schools. Teaching Practices from America's Best Urban Schools will be a valuable tool for any educator in both urban and non-urban schools-schools that serve diverse student populations, including English language learners and children from low-income families.
Download or read book The Urban High School Reform Initiative Final Report written by Urban High School Reform Initiative (U.S.) and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Improving the Odds written by Thomas Del Prete and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2015-04-24 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A much-needed counterpoint to the sweeping rhetoric of reform, this important book offers a nuanced depiction of the challenges and possibilities at the school and classroom level. Through the experiences of urban high school teachers who partner with their local university, Del Prete provides unique insight into teaching and learning in the midst of reform. He effectively illustrates why focusing on teaching practice and school cultures—more than standards and accountability—is a more fruitful way to achieve real and lasting change. With powerful portraits from classrooms serving diverse and low-income students, this book: Depicts the daily concerns and small victories of teachers determined to support all students in meaningful learning, and prepare them for postsecondary education. Characterizes the importance of a coherent school learning culture, based on one of the most effective small urban schools in the country. Illustrates the potential of university-school partnerships to support the development of teaching practices that will help close the achievement gap. Thomas Del Preteis Director of the Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education, and Chair of the Education Department at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has worked for more than two decades on teacher education, university-school partnership, and school reform. “Tom Del Prete presents a fascinating case study of teachers at three high schools that really get it right when it comes to engaging all students in challenging content and higher-order thinking. In the process, he makes a compelling argument for creating high school–college partnerships that lead to a ‘culture of learning’ that engages teachers and improves student performance dramatically.” —David Conley, CEO, Educational Policy Improvement Center, Director, Center for Educational Policy Research, and Professor, University of Oregon "School-University collaboration is a phrase far easier to roll trippingly off one's tongue than it is to accomplish with effectiveness and integrity. In this fine volume, we read an account that rings true and can guide others hoping to pull off similar difficult collaborations. It is a book well worth reading and deserves to be studied with care.” —Lee S. Shulman, President Emeritus, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "Del Prete provides a richly detailed account of how a team of teachers grows and nurtures a collectively built body of knowledge and practice that enables them to achieve remarkable results—year after year—with students from one of the lowest income urban communities in the state. If you want to know why we need to build a collaborative learning culture in schools, read this book. If you want to know how to do it, read it again." —Tom Carroll, President, National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) "Del Prete has written a book that describes what it means to prepare for and teach in an urban high school setting. At the same time, he masterfully weaves the contexts of policy, content area, and school culture into a compelling story that outlines what high-quality teaching should look like." —Lee Teitel, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Download or read book Improving Urban Science Education written by Kenneth Tobin and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2005-04-07 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many would argue that the state of urban science education has been static for the past several decades and that there is little to learn from it. Rather than accepting this deficit perspective, Improving Urban Science Education strives to recognize and understand the successes that exist there by systematically documenting seven years of research into issues salient to teaching and learning in urban high school science classes. Grounded in the post structuralism of William Sewell_and brought to life through the experiences of different students, teachers, and school settings in Philadelphia_this book shows how teachers and students can work together to enact meaningful science education when social and cultural differences as well as inappropriate curricula often make the challenges seem insurmountable. Chapters contain rich images of urban youth and each strives to offer insights into problems and suggestions for resolving them. Most significant, in spite of the challenges, the research offers hope and shows that fresh approaches to teaching and learning can lead students_some who have already been pronounced academic, even societal, failures_to becoming avid and deep learners of science.
Download or read book Engaging Schools written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2003-12-21 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When it comes to motivating people to learn, disadvantaged urban adolescents are usually perceived as a hard sell. Yet, in a recent MetLife survey, 89 percent of the low-income students claimed "I really want to learn" applied to them. What is it about the school environmentâ€"pedagogy, curriculum, climate, organizationâ€"that encourages or discourages engagement in school activities? How do peers, family, and community affect adolescents' attitudes towards learning? Engaging Schools reviews current research on what shapes adolescents' school engagement and motivation to learnâ€"including new findings on students' sense of belongingâ€"and looks at ways these can be used to reform urban high schools. This book discusses what changes hold the greatest promise for increasing students' motivation to learn in these schools. It looks at various approaches to reform through different methods of instruction and assessment, adjustments in school size, vocational teaching, and other key areas. Examples of innovative schools, classrooms, and out-of-school programs that have proved successful in getting high school kids excited about learning are also included.
