ABSTRACT
Diverse demographics, contested and difficult politics, large business communities, weak democratic infrastructures in neighborhoods, important cultural resources and institutions, vastly different value systems, extensive human resources, lack of collective community, enormous intellectual capital, high poverty, wealthy and philanthropic interests, and violence—these are the dichotomous conditions of urban education. Aspects of the community can enrich the research and learning, while other aspects make the role of an urban education leader extremely challenging.
