City Kids City Schools

A companion to City Kids, City Teachers is a collection of top-selected writings on life in urban schools and neighborhoods, in a volume that explores such topics as culturally relevant teaching methods, the criminalization of youth, and the inequities of school funding. Original.

Of the approximately 50 million public school students in the United States, more than half are in urban schools. A contemporary companion to City Kids, City Teachers: Reports from the Front Row, this new and timely collection has been compiled by...

“City Kids, City Teachers has the potential to create genuine change in the learning, teaching, and administration of urban public schools.” —Library Journal In more than twenty-five provocative selections, an all-star cast of educators and writers explores the surprising realities of city classrooms from kindergarten through high school. Contributors including Gloria Ladson-Billings, Lisa Delpit, June Jordan, Lewis H. Lapham, Audre Lorde, and Deborah Meier move from the poetic to the practical, celebrating the value of city kids and their teachers. Useful both as a guide and a call to action for anyone who teaches or has taught in the city, it is essential reading for those contemplating teaching in an urban setting and for every parent with children in a city school today. “Hopeful, helpful discussions of culturally relevant teaching . . . moving illustrations of what urban teaching is all about.” —Publishers Weekly “A refreshing and eclectic collection.” —Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here “With its upbeat mix of ready-to-share city kids’ memoirs and classroom strategies, this book is an inspiring resource for veteran teachers, parents, community members, and students.” —Educational Leadership “You’ll feel sad, angry, hopeful, agitated, and inspired.” —NEA Today

Textbook

Pedro Noguera argues that higher standards and more tests, by themselves, will not make low-income urban students any smarter and the schools they attend more successful without substantial investment in the communities in which they live. Drawing on extensive research performed in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond, Noguera demonstrates how school and student achievement is influenced by social forces such as demographic change, poverty, drug trafficking, violence, and social inequity. Readers get a detailed glimpse into the lives of teachers and students working "against the odds" to succeed. Noguera sends a strong message to those who would have urban schools "shape up or shut down": invest in the future of these students and schools, and we can reach the kind of achievement and success that typify only more privileged communities. Public schools are the last best hope for many poor families living in cities across the nation. Noguera gives politicians, policymakers, and the public its own standard to achieve, provide the basic economic and social support so that teachers and students can get the job done!

In Basic Needs: A Year With Street Kids in a City School, Julie Landsman chronicles one year as a teacher in a program for students in such serious trouble they are asked to leave their middle schools and attend a special program for disruptive students. Landsman allows her readers to get to know the students, their home and street situations, and how their stories develop over the year, and in doing so, shows the complexity of young people, their beauty, and their individuality. This second edition is as current a story as the original: about kids in trouble and their resiliency. Landsman has added a foreword, afterword, and an extensive Resource Guide, which includes all the text of activities from Diversity Days, revolving around how to create a community in your classroom and includes ideas for every week of the school year. Landsman also includes a list of books to read over the summer for busy teachers. In total, the second edition of Basic Needs is a worthy follow-up to the highly praised original.

This significantly revised edition will help prospective and new city teachers navigate the realities of city teaching. Now the classic introduction to urban teaching, this book explains how global, national, state, and local reforms have impacted what teachers need to know to not only survive, but to do their jobs well. The Third Edition melds new insights and perspectives from Daniel Jerome—New York City teacher, social justice activist, and parent of color—with what Lois Weiner, a seasoned teacher educator, has learned from research and decades of experience working with city teachers and students in a variety of settings. Together, the authors explore how successful teachers deal with the complexity, difficulty, and rewarding challenges of teaching in today’s city schools. Book Features: A highly readable exploration of the moral, pedagogical, and political complexity of teaching in urban schools. Research-based advice combined with real-life examples of the problems city teachers face.Challenges associated with teaching in multi-ethnic and multi-racial settings.Critical examination of how the altered landscape of education has changed teachers’ professional obligations. “FINALLY, a book about urban teaching from two experienced professionals who intimately know and respect the art of educating in urban America!” —Keith Benson, teacher, New Jersey “Professor Weiner helps us understand how to teach in ways that show our concern and do not oppress our students.” —Jeanette Morris, teacher, East Orange New Jersey School District “Dr. Weiner offers an enlightening scope into the lives of urban educators. The author's honest and riveting perspectives on hot-button topics surrounding our profession will be appreciated by veteran educators and student teachers alike.” —Shanika Allen, 8th-grade math teacher, Trenton, NJ “Dr. Weiner skillfully blends experience and theory in this practical A–Z guide for novice and seasoned urban educators alike. A brilliantly captivating read for a new generation of urban-bound teachers navigating the uncertainty of urban public education policies and practices.” —Nevart Nay, veteran teacher, formerly of Union City School District, NJ. “As a teacher of color who has taught for 3 years, in charter and public school settings, I found the advice, anecdotes, and presentation of the realities of urban teaching to be candid and honest.” —Annie Tan, special education teacher, City of Chicago Public School District

From Simon & Schuster, City Kids is Sue Haven and Valerie Monroe's advice for raising kids in urban areas—from Cincinnati to Seattle—and having fun doing it. City Kids is Sue Haven and Valerie Monroe's advice from kids and parents living in the inner city gleaned from their experiences on living and raising kids in the city.

This anthology places art at the center of meaningful urban education reform. Providing a fresh perspective, contributors describe a positive, asset–based community development model designed to tap into the teaching/learning potential already available in urban settings. Rather than focusing on a lack of resources, this innovative approach shows teachers how to use the cultural resources at hand to engage students in the processes of critical, imaginative investigation. Featuring personal narratives that reflect the authors’ vast experience and passion for teaching art, this resource: Offers a new vision for urban schools that reflects current directions of urban renewal and transformation. Highlights successful models of visual art education for the K–12 classroom. Describes meaningful, socially concerned teaching practices. Includes unit plans, a glossary of terms, and online resources. Contributors include Olivia Gude, James Haywood Rolling Jr., and Leda Guimarães. “This terrific, much–needed resource promises to become a classic in the field.” —Christine Marmé Thompson, Penn State University