The dilemmas facing urban schools can be examined on the instructional level. Low achievement of inner city students is attributable largely to educational inequities. Often the expectations and attitudes of teachers, parents, and students work in combination to yield a nonproductive learning climate. This negative climate is preserved by educational politics and policies which tend to reform without making major structural changes in the delivery of educational services and without raising questions about the basic values that have guided the development of public education. More local involvement in educational policy making and the instructional strategy of mastery learning can directly benefit the learning of inner city youth as well as overcome negative teacher attitudes. Mastery learning is based on the assumption that nearly all children can learn what only the best students now learn. However, they must be given additional time and help. When learning difficulties are identified and corrected over a series of learning units, most students can attain a level of achievement which under more traditional methods of instruction is attained by only a few. Positive changes in teacher attitudes will result from positive changes in student learning outcomes. (Author/MK)