ABSTRACT

The publication of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) stimulated several reports in the mid-1980s on the need for reform in urban education (American Council on Education, 1983; Darling-Hammond, 1985; National Alli-5 ance of Black School Educators, 1984; National Coalition of Advocates for Students, 1985). Many initial urban school reforms focused on the need for fundamental changes in the delivery of educational services. Reformers argued for rapid expansion of specific pro-10 grams and services in early childhood, health and social services in the schools, school-community partnerships, and alternative delivery systems (Oakes, 1987; Yinger & Hendricks, 1990). Recently, considerable emphasis has been on structural-based school reform 15 efforts including school choice, approaches to systemic change, use of common core curricula, flexible scheduling, and the use of alternative methods for assessing student performance (Carroll, Potthoff, & Huber, 1996; Newmann & Wehlage, 1995). 20

Teachers’ voices are absent from much contemporary school reform literature (Ascher, 1993; Koerner, 1992). When asked to cite factors most important for successful urban teaching, how do experienced urban teachers reply? How may urban teachers’ voices affect 25 teacher preparation programs? How do experienced urban teachers’ voices compare with those of other teachers? In this study, we examined these questions and issues in the larger context of urban school reform. Hargreaves (1996) persuasively argues that teachers’ 30 voices are an important area of inquiry. He also cautions investigators to avoid potential overgeneralization and romanticism in teachers’ voices when such voices are presented in a decontextualized manner.