ABSTRACT
So much of what we know pedagogically, socially, contextually, and culturally has not made its way into the urban classroom. The effects of teacher knowledge of pedagogy, content, and practice appear across curriculum fields and at every level of education (Darling-Hammond, 1999). The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has shown that the qualifications and training of teachers can directly affect student performance and reading achievement (National Center for Education Statistics, 1994, n.d.). Moreover, teachers have the lead role in advancing the cutting edge of research-based practices.
