Working conditions in urban schools

The recent wave of reform reports in education promulgated a wide variety of recommendations to address identified concerns. This research explores an issue mostly ignored by the reform reports, the working conditions teachers face. Utilizing ethnographic techniques and multisite analyses of in-depth case studies of six schools in two large urban areas, the authors identify five broad categories of stressors in the work environment, including governance/leadership, budget cuts, security, staff relations, and student issues. In addition, two major themes characterizing working conditions for teachers are specified, the no respect syndrome and barriers to teaching. The need to address these issues before attempting to implement the major reforms in the national reports is highlighted.     

Leadership in large and very large primary schools

This paper examines leadership in large primary schools. The paper reports on interviews conducted with heads and deputies in 26 schools with 600+ pupils. The first part of the paper sets out what the heads and deputies said about leading such large schools. Then five themes which emerged from their testimonies are explored. The themes are: context; site management; organisational structures; the role of the deputy head; professional development. The interviews have been used to inform a second stage of the study, which is a large survey of 500 other large and very large schools. The quantitative data are still being analysed at the time of this paper going to press and the findings will be reported later.     

Educating bright students in urban schools

Our study analyzes the impact of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a college-preparatory educational program designed for higher-achieving students, on high school academic achievement in Chicago Public Schools. We exploit exogenous variation in the offering of the program across schools over time with a difference-in-differences framework. We estimate a positive effect of the program on the probability of obtaining a B average or better in coursework, with most of the effect accruing to performance in mathematics. Most importantly, the program led to a decrease in the likelihood of high school dropout and an increase in the probability of high school graduation.     

Design and use of hypermedia systems

Hypermedia makes it possible for learners to explore interactive multimedia-based instructional systems. To realize the potential of hypermedia to increase student involvement and learning, important design and use issues will have to be addressed. For example, how can we ensure that learners will be able to effectively regulate their own learning as they exercise the control inherent in hypermedia-based systems? How can motivation be stimulated and maintained, so that individuals will go beyond superficial browsing to really explore and learn? A theoretical and research-based foundation is summarized here which suggests answers to these questions, answers that revolve around learner control, self-regulated learning, and continuing motivation. Recommendations are offered for the effective design of hypermedia systems and the appropriate preparation of learners who will use them.     

Academic self-concepts in adolescence: Relations with achievement and ability grouping in schools

The effects of ability grouping in schools on students' self-concept were examined in a sample of 23 secondary schools with a range of structured ability groupings. Measures of general self-concept, academic self-concept, and achievement were collected from over 1600 students aged 14–15 years and again two years later. Students' academic self-concept, but not their general self-concept, was related to the extent of ability grouping in the school attended. Subject-specific facets of academic self-concept were not related to the number of years of ability grouping students had experienced in English, mathematics and science; however, they were related to students' position in the grouping hierarchy, with students in high-ability groups having significantly higher self-concepts in all three subjects than students in low-ability groups. Students' intentions to learn in future were more strongly affected by self-concept than by achievement.     

Learning to teach science in urban schools

Teaching in urban schools, with their problems of violence, lack of resources, and inadequate funding, is difficult. It is even more difficult to learn to teach in urban schools. Yet learning in those locations where one will subsequently be working has been shown to be the best preparation for teaching. In this article we propose coteaching as a viable model for teacher preparation and the professional development of urban science teachers. Coteaching—working at the elbow of someone else—allows new teachers to experience appropriate and timely action by providing them with shared experiences that become the topic of their professional conversations with other coteachers (including peers, the cooperating teacher, university supervisors, and high school students). This article also includes an ethnography describing the experiences of a new teacher who had been assigned to an urban high school as field experience, during which she enacted a curriculum that was culturally relevant to her African American students, acknowledged their minority status with respect to science, and enabled them to pursue the school district standards. Even though coteaching enables learning to teach and curricula reform, we raise doubts about whether our approaches to teacher education and enacting science curricula are hegemonic and oppressive to the students we seek to emancipate through education. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 941–964, 2001     

Engagement profiles of elementary students in urban schools

This study identified engagement profiles and examined their relations to student characteristics (gender, grade, socioeconomic status) as well as mathematics and reading achievement among elementary students attending urban schools in the southeastern part of the United States (N = 564). Using latent profile analysis, four engagement profiles were identified including a Moderately Engaged, Globally Disengaged, Affectively Disengaged, and Behaviorally Disengaged profile. Subsequent analyses showed that grade level was a statistically significant predictor of profile membership, and the Moderately Engaged profile was associated with higher mathematics achievement compared to the Affectively Disengaged profile. Results contribute to the growing body of person-centered work that indicates that students’ engagement cluster into unique configurations of global, behavioral, affective, cognitive, and social engagement, which have important implications for their academic achievement.     

Development of the teaching in urban schools scale

This study presents the development of a 91-item instrument to measure what pre-service teachers know about effective teaching in urban schools. The instrument, Teaching in Urban Schools Scale, was piloted and then refined and conducted with 248 graduate students in a teacher education program. Validity of the scale was investigated and revealed evidence of discriminant and content validity and a reliability coefficient of .91. Results also indicated that certification and number of program credits completed bore no significant influence on respondents’ knowledge base. However, participants who expressed interest in teaching in urban schools scored significantly higher on the instrument.     

Educating science teachers for the sociocultural diversity of urban schools

This interpretive study of the preparation of science teachers for urban high schools explored the extent to which learning to teach was facilitated by the methods courses, cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Because the methods course was minimally effective in addressing the needs of teaching low track students from conditions of poverty the methods instructor, Tobin, decided to be a teacher-researcher with such students. He joined Smith, a student teacher and Seiler, a doctoral student, in an investigation that examined learning to teach in a graduate teacher preparation program. In an endeavour to gain a first hand grasp on the challenges of teaching African American students placed in a low track program of study the three authors of this paper co-taught science in an urban high school. The paper incorporates rich perspectives gained from the teacher-researchers and theoretical frameworks associated with resistance, habitus and learning to teach by co-teaching. The paper advocates co-teaching as an essential component of teacher education programs.     

The extent of ability grouping in Swedish upper secondary schools: a national survey

Differentiation among students according to ability has been a topic of interest in educational systems all over the world for a long period of time. This study focuses on the extent of ability grouping in Swedish upper secondary schools, using a total population survey that covers all upper secondary schools. Previous research on the effects of ability grouping on students and groups of students gives a quite clear picture and the relation between ability grouping and issues of inequity and undemocratic values is an often-raised issue, where low-achieving students are especially adversely affected. Results from this study show that many (43%) upper secondary schools use ability grouping as a way to differentiate students in educational settings. It is found that it is more frequently used within the foundation subjects and especially in mathematics. No particular group of schools reports using ability grouping at a significantly higher rate, but the schools that reported using it to a very large extent differ on many school-level variables. These schools are focused on specifically. The extent of ability grouping is discussed in relation to previous research and issues of equity.     

The challenges of beginning teachers in urban primary schools

This study provides insight in the variety of urban-related challenges that beginning teachers experience in urban schools. Literature on urban teaching focuses on teaching children from low socio-economic status (SES) and/or culturally diverse backgrounds. In many European cities, however, schools are populated by both children from relatively high and from low-SES backgrounds. This study examined the problems and challenges of beginning teachers in Dutch urban primary schools. Teachers were interviewed at schools with different student populations. Results showed that, although many of the challenges that beginning teachers experienced concern the same themes, their actual manifestation differed related to schools’ student populations. For instance, the problem of ‘parental contact’ referred to both the extreme involvement and demands of highly educated wealthy parents at some schools and the diverse backgrounds of parents at other schools. Results of the study can be used to develop adequate preparation and support for beginning urban teachers.     

Instructional systems development in the schools

The authors of this commentary take exception to several points made in an article that appeared in the most recent issue of this journal (ETR&D, Vol. 38, No. 2). Following this explanation of their concerns is a reply by the authors of the original article.     

Design,technology, and science: Sites for learning,resistance, and social reproduction in urban schools

The teaching of science through activities that emphasize design and technology has been advocated as a vehicle for accomplishing science for all students. This study was situated in an inner7‐city neighborhood school populated mainly by African American students from life worlds characterized by poverty. The article explores the discourse and practices of students and three coteachers as a curriculum was enacted to provide opportunities for students to learn about the physics of motion through designing, building, and testing a model car. Some students participated in ways that led to their building viable model cars and interacting with one another in ways that suggest design and technological competence. However, there also was evidence of resistance from students who participated sporadically and refused to cooperate with teachers as they endeavored to structure the environment in ways that would lead to a deeper understanding of science. Analysis of in‐class interactions reveals an untapped potential for the emergence of a sciencelike discourse and diverse outcomes. Among the challenges explored in this article is a struggle for respect that permeates the students' lives on the street and bleeds into the classroom environment. Whereas teachers enacted the curriculum as if learning was the chief goal for students, it is apparent that students used the class opportunistically to maintain and earn the respect of peers. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 746–767, 2001     

Teacher efficacy of English teachers in urban and suburban schools

To investigate the context-related teacher efficacy (TE) of experienced teachers in Taiwan, this study examined elementary English teachers more than a decade after a major educational reform to determine whether their TE levels were affected by school location (e.g. urban vs. suburban). The 438 responses to the adapted Teacher Efficacy Scale revealed stronger efficacy regarding the teachers’ personal ability to teach less-motivated students and less confidence regarding the management of school- and government-related concerns. However, school settings did not show a significant effect on the efficacy levels of experienced English teachers. Although caution must be practiced in interpreting results related to school settings and TE, the findings from the current study are generalizable to contexts in which English is spoken as a foreign language. The results also urge much caution when making interpretation on results relating to school settings and TE.     

The tyranny of setting (ability grouping): Challenges to inclusion in Scottish primary schools

Debate around the use of ability grouping in schools, resonates across national boundaries as concerns rise around the possible negative impact on young people, particularly those in already disadvantaged groups. In this paper, a survey focussing on primary schools in Scotland established the extent to which some form of ability grouping has emerged within classes dealing with children from 5 to 12 years of age, the rationale behind the decisions made and the issues and challenges faced by schools.     

How schools use talent search scores for gifted adolescents

Two hundred fourteen school officials who had students participate in an academic talent search through the Center for Talent Development of Northwestern University responded to a survey regarding how they use off‐level test scores for students’ talent development in school. Data showed that generally talent search is perceived by schools as a means of providing access to outside‐of‐school academic opportunities such as summer and distance learning courses. Few schools use talent search scores to design school‐based educational programs or to determine eligibility for in‐school gifted programs. Other findings included that schools learned about talent search mainly through mailings from the talent search center, gifted coordinators primarily administered talent search in their schools and participation was encouraged via letters to families, students were selected for talent search participation based on achievement test scores at the 95th percentile or above and follow‐up on talent search scores typically consisted of passing out certificates at a special ceremony. Schools that were more active versus less active in talent search were not different in terms of how they conducted or used talent search off‐level test scores. More efforts are needed from local schools to recognize the important role that talent search scores can have in their local programming to enhance the impact of talent search on gifted students.     

School leaders’ practices for innovative use of digital technologies in schools

School leaders’ practices to support the innovative use of digital technologies for teaching and learning and the conditions for technology-enhanced learning were studied in a 1:1 laptop initiative in two schools over a period of 3 years in Umeå, Sweden. The aim of this paper is to explore, analyze and discuss the possibilities and challenges in the final phase of this 1:1 initiative from the perspective of the school leader. The school leaders saw possibilities in new methods of working, sharing and collaboration, and created a beneficial environment for the use of digital technologies in teaching. The challenges were technical problems, supporting teachers in their work, and finding time to prioritize leadership for the use of digital technologies. How school organizers support school leaders’ practices in creating beneficial conditions for technology-enhanced learning will be important for how school leaders’ practices support, promote, and advance innovative and sustainable teaching and learning environments through the use of digital technologies.