Urban Education with an Attitude

Preface

ix CONTENTS Preface In times of social crisis, communities often turn to universities and colleges for help. As major repositories of intellectual capital, universities are also primary institutions of social power and, as such, it is understandable that communities would look to universities for help.This relationship suggests, however, the role and responsibilities of the university in society. I subscribe to the belief that great universities will be known for and distinguished by their ability to solve, or at least make meaningful contributions to, the solutions of our most pressing social problems. Surely the challenges of K–12 education must count as some of the most serious facing our society today. In schools of education then, where we are preparing the professionals who must meet and manage these challenges, how can we not direct our research and our collective efforts toward developing and promoting both strategies and conceptual frames that address this need? Would a culinary institute be credible if its graduates could only cook breakfast in a microwave? Or a medical school whose graduates could not stand the sight of blood? The worth of the academic experience in schools of education is manifested in graduates who are equipped for the multidimensional complexities of the classroom. The list of educational exigencies ranges from the realities of language, culture, and cognitive styles to the nature of pre-service teaching experiences, leadership in educational administration, school resources, socioeconomic access, and family systems.What is the role of graduate schools of education relative to the crisis in education? They are uniquely equipped to generate relevant theory and to translate research and theory into effective practice. Research and theory, informed by practice, provide powerful tools for understanding the nature of needed interventions as well as the means for delivering them. This volume addresses the current crisis in urban education. It originated in the presentations made during “Urban Education Month,” a series of lectures and workshops sponsored by the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education’s Urban Education Institute intended to facilitate a communitywide dialogue focusing on the challenges facing our K–12 system. This dialogue was held on campus and off, and included faculty, parents, and school district personnel, including teachers, school board members and superintendents . It was my belief then, as now, that schools of education must be encouraged and supported in their efforts to engage professional and lay stakeholders as mutual collaborators in order to fully understand and ultimately impact ix change. The dialogue was very successful in that each invited guest made substantive and noteworthy contributions to the understanding of the issues of urban education.As the Dean of the Graduate School of Education, I encouraged publication of this volume in the hope that others will continue this discussion until such time as tangible progress can be claimed by all. Finally, the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo has a commitment to urban education and a commitment to the urban community : it is where we live. While the distinction between urban, suburban, and rural are important and valid, in my view it is more a question of degree rather than kind.Therefore, if we can make a positive difference in the urban arena, we will have made a significant contribution to the whole. Mary H. Gresham Dean, Graduate School of Education Vice President, Public Service and Urban Affairs The State University of New York at Buffalo x PREFACE ...