ABSTRACT
Urban education has been the subject of ongoing discussion over the last 40 years, with vigorous debate over policies aimed at urban school improvement. As urban areas became increasingly poor and segregated (see Chapter 14, this volume), their school systems have come to mirror the problems of urban poverty, including low student achievement, high student mobility, high dropout rates, and high levels of school failure. A significant percentage of urban schools have been identified as in need of improvement under federal No Child Left Behind Act (2002) guidelines, with large city school systems having dropout rates at or above 40% and student achievement well below 50% proficiency in mathematics and reading (U.S. Department of Education, 2009a, 2009b). Although rural and many suburban schools have similar problems, urban schools represent the most serious challenges.
