Challenges and Choices in Urban Education: The Perceptions of Teachers and Principals

The study described in this paper was designed to investigate the perspectives of principals and teachers in urban schools across the country in regard to challenges in urban teaching. The perceptions of these educators were investigated regarding (1) the extent to which challenges commonly cited in the literature on urban teaching were evident at their schools; (2) the extent to which school personnel have the power to favorably influence challenge areas; and (3) the potential for success of promising practices commonly cited in the literature on urban teaching.