ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors describe what they have learned about how urban schools generate equitable and excellent teaching practices. If a school is to achieve outstanding results, there must be clarity about the goal and the elements that contribute to the goal. The authors describe a system that can facilitate the attainment of the goal. After observing so many high-performing urban schools and interviewing hundreds of principals, district administrators, support personnel, teachers, and students, the authors have learned that schoolwide improvement requires a carefully orchestrated system. Typical urban schools, with significant challenges, can achieve substantial improvements in teaching that yield remarkable gains in learning. An equally important lesson is that achieving schoolwide improvements in teaching is difficult. Professional development was an important system element that influenced change in high-performing urban schools. Through the alignment of professional development, teacher collaboration, and classroom observation and feedback, teachers knew how their teaching practices could be improved.
