In this article, we address various complexities associated with teaching and the literacy development of K-12 youth in urban poor school and community contexts. As such, we consider various conceptions of urban education through an honest conversation on the vexing issues and questions facing teachers, students, and families who work and live in…

Using a case study approach, this manuscript describes the professional transformation of Gary--an Anglo, male novice teacher--by focusing on his first two years of teaching in a culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged school. As a participant of a larger hybrid, intervention project with peers, Gary received multiple hands-on and…

While progress to close racial achievement gaps has stagnated and income achievement gaps have grown, recent case studies enthusiastically describe "transformational" schools, which claim to establish conditions that enable students--primarily poor students of color--to achieve at levels far higher than their social background predicts.…