Too many children in urban areas across the United States receive an inadequate education and are performing poorly academically. Yet too little attention is being given to reversing this trend toward mediocrity and failure.
Factors that affect urban students' achievement include both school and nonschool variables. School factors include curriculum, expectations for students, and school organization. Among the nonschool factors are teacher preparation and socioeconomic conditions. Factors in both categories—watered-down curriculum, low expectations, tracking, dropout siblings, inadequate social support services, limited English proficiency, and low socioeconomic status—undermine student achievement.
The difficulty in retaining a high-quality staff of educators is another chronic problem that detracts from the success of urban students. The challenge of educating urban youth cannot be met by ordinary people, nor with traditional approaches. To meet this challenge, school boards must seek and compensate highly skilled employees who are committed to the success of these students—educators who are capable of identifying the potential of these youth and building on their strengths.
We must also find ways to keep these educators. Often schools represent the only stability in these youngsters' lives; but when the school experience degenerates into the revolving-door syndrome—from superintendent to the classroom teacher—both students and educators lose out. And we must admit that it is in urban centers where this phenomenon is most common.
Research has shown that money alone is not what motivates workers; they are also motivated by being recognized and valued for a job well done. There are many ways to recognize a job well done—verbal praise, awards, citations, and incentive programs. But equally important is a strong staff development program designed to meet the needs of all employees at the school. Effective staff development programs help satisfy classroom teachers and also benefit students.
What else can we do to help offset the factors that undermine urban students' achievement? We can begin by holding high expectations, including grade-level performance in basic and advanced subject areas; emphasizing prevention rather than intervention programs; and planning proactively rather than reactively. Through such efforts, we can make the future of urban education brighter.
ASCD's Plans
ASCD as a professional organization is committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning in all schools and locales. But our resources have not always been applied where they are needed most. To this end, ASCD's new Strategic Plan 1994–2001 stresses in its mission, "success of all learners." Consistent with this mission, ASCD has declared as one of six strategic goals the need to improve the education of urban and poor children.
The issue of poverty and its relationship to educational problems is so pervasive in urban centers that ASCD has launched an Urban School Initiative, now in its planning stages. ASCD staff have already convened a one-day focus group seminar, conducted a needs assessment survey, and identified advisory board members.
Often groups that try to improve conditions in depressed areas reap enormous benefits themselves if their approach is collaborative. What does ASCD expect to gain from its outreach efforts? The benefits may be many. However, three specific ones come to mind. They are the opportunities to (1) test our programs in urban settings, (2) increase the diversity of our membership and services, and (3) strengthen our relationships with urban curriculum leaders.
A Collective Effort
The challenge of making urban schools centers of vibrancy and intellectual stimulation demands more than any one segment of society can deliver. That is why the movement requires a collective, collaborative effort among all stakeholders in the community: parent groups, businesses and corporations, religious institutions, social services agencies, local and federal governing bodies, and professional organizations such as ASCD.
As educators and the community forge alliances to improve teaching and learning, students in inner-city schools will move closer to paralleling their suburban counterparts in academic performance on standard and nonstandard measures of achievement.