This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Brendan D. Maxcy, Susan Polirstok, M. Beatriz Arias, Terrence G. Wiley, Thu Su'o'ng Thi Nguyen, Karen E. Lillie, Irina Walstein, Tracy Nguyen, Graciela Fernandez, and Diego Vega.
(2010). Abriendo Caminos Para La Educacion: A Case Study of a Parent Outreach Initiative Building on the Knowledge, Skills, and Resources of the Latina/o Community, ProQuest LLC. Informed by research studies that demonstrate a positive relationship between parent engagement and student academic attainment, state and national parent outreach initiatives have aimed to bridge the gap between Latina/o parents and schools. Such was the case with the Latina/o Family, School and Community "Avanzando" Project, which supported the development of parent and family outreach initiatives to strengthen the Latina/o pathways to college. This case study focuses on "Abriendo Caminos para la Educacion", a program that was supported by the "Avanzando" Project to promote parent engagement in the Central Coast of California. The program was based on the Parent School Partnership curriculum, which was designed to introduce parents to the U.S. educational system and promote their leadership development to advocate for their children's educational attainment. Using an embedded case study research design and employing ethnographic research methods as a participant observer (program coordinator and graduate student researcher), I investigated the three-year (2005-2008) implementation of the program at a dual language immersion elementary charter school. I made ethnographic observations, wrote fieldnotes, video recorded the meetings, and collected artifacts. In the analysis of the qualitative research data, I drew from cultural historical activity theory (Engestrom, 1987; Engestrom, 2001; Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1985) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970 & 1993; Wink, 2000) to examine how the parent participants used their community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) as meditational tools to name, reflect, and act upon their goals and objectives. In this study, I found that parents drew from their aspirational capital (Yosso, 2005) as the primary source of motivation to participate in the program and increase their involvement in the education and schooling of their children. In addition, they shared and developed social and navigational capital (Yosso, 2005) to explore their role in the education and schooling of their children and to address some of the challenges and barriers to Latina/o college access. Through their participation in the program, parents developed a greater sense of place in the U.S. educational system and the responsibility to develop into a parent-led organization and continue supporting their children and other parents in the school and the community. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Video Technology, Charter Schools, Critical Theory, Qualitative Research
(2010). The Effects of Differentiation and Motivation on Students' Performance, Online Submission. This report described how implementation of differentiated assignments provided documentation of how students' motivation increased. The volunteers that participated in this study were 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Students struggle academically to meet the expectations of their instructors. These struggles impact how students learn academically, behave socially, and participate collaboratively within a classroom. Implementation of differentiation showed some improvement in students' learning as well as increases in student motivation. These strategies were documented using surveys and exit slips. Participants received a multiple intelligence survey to see how their individual learning styles impacted their academic success. These collection tools were documented to show how students progressed academically. As teachers, we influenced the attitudes and motivational levels of our students. Providing positive reinforcement and leveled assignments, our students experienced success and progressed academically. The intervention's post data resulted in academic growth. Using differentiated strategies allowed students to become motivated according to their ability. There were extraneous factors that affected the students' level of motivation; however, the majority of students showed an increase in motivation. This increase was a result of using differentiated methods of instruction in a classroom setting. The implication of these tools allowed students to become successful in their academics. Eight appendixes are included: (1) Parental Information Letter; (2) Student Informational Letter; (3) Student Survey; (4) Parent Survey; (5) Pretest; (6) Posttest; (7) Exit Slip; and (8) Multiple Intelligence Test. [More] Descriptors: Individualized Instruction, Multiple Intelligences, Student Surveys, Student Motivation
(2010). Vietnamese Diasporic Placemaking: An Ethnographic Moment in Uneven Geographic Development, Educational Policy. The article explores the ways "uneven geographical development" conditions and is conditioned by local placemaking practices. Guided by David Harvey's work along with Henri Lefebvre's three dimensions of spatial production–spatial practices, representations of space, and spaces of representation or the "spatial imaginary"–I look at the ways a diasporic community of Vietnamese teachers, students, and parents negotiate heritage language and culture within an urban public elementary school. I hope to illustrate how spatial production works on individuals in ways that produce both docile and self-determining bodies negotiating tensions between unity and difference. I argue that in confining our understanding of the spatial to static backdrops, we limit our abilities to imagine spaces of difference, geographies of desire, places of radical openness and possibility, and third spaces of political opportunity. [More] Descriptors: Parent School Relationship, Ethnography, Urban Schools, Elementary Schools
(2010). Policy in Practice: The Implementation of Structured English Immersion in Arizona, Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles. This study examines the implementation and organization of the state mandated curriculum in the 4-hour SEI block in 18 K-12 classrooms in 5 different districts. We focus on the effects of grouping by language proficiency, the delivery of the structure-based ESL curriculum, the provision of resources and limiting of access to grade-level curriculum, and problems of promotion and graduation for ELLs. In each of these areas, the implementation of the SEI 4- hour block raises concerns with regard to equal educational opportunity and access to English. Key among the findings of this study are: ELLs are physically, socially, and educationally isolated from their non-ELL peers; they are not exiting the program in one year, raising serious questions about the time these students must remain in these segregated settings; reclassification rates are a poor indicator of success in mainstream classrooms; and the four-hour model places ELLs at a severe disadvantage for high school graduation. The only means for these students to graduate with their peers appears to be through after school and summer school programs that either did not exist or had been cut. Appendices include: (1) Initial Visit Questionnaire for the Semi-Structured Interviews; (2) Materials and Resources; and (3) Parent Notification Form (ELLAR). [More] Descriptors: English (Second Language), Language Proficiency, State Standards, Delivery Systems
(2010). Literacy Models and Diversity: Challenges Facing Bilingual Preservice Teachers Tutoring Bilingual Kindergarten Students in an Urban Context, Online Submission. The present study was undertaken to find ways to help bilingual preservice teachers become more aware of diversity and more questioning of methods for literacy development in order to address issues of critical literacy. Twenty-five bilingual preservice teachers, enrolled in a Spanish Reading Methods at the university tutored 25 kindergarten bilingual students for 20 sessions for 12-weeks. The research sought to find: a) how did tutoring influence preservice teachers' perceptions of literacy development in Spanish, b) how did the use of poems, rhymes, and repetitive-pattern books affect their perceptions of literacy development, and c) whether tutoring and the use of genuine language activities promoted questioning as to whether phonics is the most effective way of literacy development in Spanish. Qualitative methodology of data collection and data analysis were followed. In-class written reflections were collected at the beginning, at mid point and at the end of the course. The researcher classified categories of themes from the reflections into those that were similar and those that were unique. The results indicated that 7 (28%) out of 25 preservice teachers would incorporate these activities in their future instruction, 8 (32%) would continue to use phonics, and 10 (40%) would not commit one way or another. The researcher concluded that the tutoring, instructional activities, and discussions brought about perception change only for a minor number of Teacher Candidates. Recommendations for the future include: incorporating additional research articles to supplement the textbook readings and allocating more time to examining the need for differentiated instruction. [More] Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Bilingual Students, Phonics, Data Analysis
(2010). Transitions for Young Children: Creating Connections across Early Childhood Systems, Brookes Publishing Company. Smooth early childhood transitions are key to ensuring positive outcomes for young children the world over–but in today's fragmented early education systems, it's difficult to ensure continuity among programs and services. Early childhood professionals will help change that with this book, the first to propose a comprehensive, practical framework for repairing fissures in the system and making transitions successful for young children globally. A groundbreaking resource for a wide range of professionals–including principals, school-based administrators, program directors, district supervisors, and curriculum specialists–this book brings together the best thinking on early childhood transitions from leading researchers and practitioners around the world. Focusing on both vertical and horizontal transitions, the expert contributors give readers the in-depth guidance they need to: (1) develop a coherent, connected framework of curriculum and instruction across the pre-K- Grade 3 continuum; (2) enhance transitions for infants and young children with disabilities and their families; (3) address the specific issues dual language learners face during transitions; (4) align early learning standards, curricula, and assessments; (5) improve all aspects of school readiness–ready children, ready schools, and ready families and communities; (6) establish continuity between the child's home and school environment; (7) support the quality and stability of the early childhood workforce; (8) improve transitions through better accountability policies; and (9) understand how transitions are affected by a wide range of factors, including poverty, cultural and linguistic diversity, and the child's neighborhood. Through the invaluable case studies on diverse programs–both in key U.S. states and around the world–readers will get practical insight into what really works and apply the lessons of real-life success stories. With the clear and useful analysis of up-to-date research, policy, and practice, professionals will see where the field is today and where it needs to go to support better transitions. A must-have resource for any early childhood professional who plays a part in shaping high-quality programs and services, this book is also an ideal text for preparing tomorrow's professionals to lead future efforts. Readers will be ready to move the field closer to one of its critical goals: a cohesive system of services that supports effective, meaningful transitions for all young children. This book contains five parts. Part I, Background and Context, contains: (1) Seeing Transition through a New Prism: Pedagogical, Programmatic, and Policy Alignment (Sharon Lynn Kagan); (2) The Transition to School: Concepts, Practices, and Needed Research (Craig T. Ramey and Sharon Landesman Ramey); (3) Going to School in the United States: The Shifting Ecology of Transition (Robert C. Pianta); (4) Transitions: Perspectives from the Majority World (Kathy Bartlett and Caroline Arnold with Sadaf Shallwani and Saima Gowani); (5) Transitions for Children with Disabilities (Mary Beth Bruder); and (6) Developing and Learning in More Than One Language: The Challenges and Opportunities for Transitions in Early Education Settings (Eugene E. Garcia). Part II, Pedagogical Perspective, contains: (7) Aligning the Content of Early Childhood Care and Education (Catherine Scott-Little and Jeanne L. Reid); Case Study–The Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (Jeanne L. Reid); Case Study–Early Care and Education in France (Kate Tarrant); and (8) Aligning Curriculum and Teaching: A Child-Focused Approach (Sue Bredekamp); Case Study–Aligning Curriculum and Teaching in Red Bank, New Jersey (Aleksandra Holod and Jocelyn Friedlander); Case Study–Step By Step Moldova (Alejandra Cortazar). Part III, Programmatic Perspective, contains: (9) Ready or Not? Schools' Readiness for Young Children (Sharon Ritchie, Richard Clifford, William W. Malloy, Carolyn T. Cobb, and Gisele M. Crawford); Case Study–FirstSchool Lexington Elementary School (Aleksandra Holod); Case Study–Keiraville Community Preschool (Romilla Karnati); (10) Families and Transitions (Judy Langford); Case Study–Family and Child Education Program (FACE) (Aleksandra Holod); Case Study–Turkey's Mother Child Education Program (Alejandra Cortazar); and (11) The Neighborhoods Where Young Children Grow Up (Jeanne Brooks-Gunn); Case Study–Transition and Alignment through the Eyes of Sparks (Anthony Berkley and Kimber Bogard); Case Study–East Africa Madrasa Program (Alejandra Cortazar). Part IV, Policy Perspective, contains: (12) Governance and Transition (Sharon Lynn Kagan and Kristie Kauerz); Case Study–The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (Jeanne L. Reid); Case Study–Early Childhood Governance in Sweden (Caroline Segal); (13) Accountability Policies and Transitions (Thomas Schultz); Case Study–The Maryland Model for School Readiness (Jeanne L. Reid); and (14) Transitions in Early Childhood: The Case for a Consistent, Competent, and Stable Workforce (Susan D. Russell and Carol Brunson Day); Case Study–New Mexico's Professional Development Initiative (Jocelyn Friedlander and Kate Tarrant); Case Study–Sweden's Integrated Teaching Degree (Alejandra Cortazar). Part V, Integrating Pedagogy, Programs, and Policy, contains: (15) Integrating Pedagogy, Practice, and Policy: A Transitions Agenda (Kate Tarrant and Sharon Lynn Kagan). An index is included. [More] Descriptors: Neighborhoods, School Readiness, Early Childhood Education, Young Children
(2010). 19 Urban Questions: Teaching in the City. Second Edition. Counterpoints: Studies in Postmodern Theory of Education, Vol. 215, Peter Lang New York. The second edition of "19 Urban Questions: Teaching in the City" adds new questions to those in the original volume. Continuing the developing conversation in urban education, the book is provocative in style and rich in detail. Emphasizing the complexity of urban education, Shirley R. Steinberg and the authors ask direct questions about what urban teachers need to know. Their answers are guaranteed to generate both classroom discussion and discourse in the field for years to come. The book not only addresses questions pertaining directly to today's urban schools, but poses new ones for discussion, teacher education, and urban school research. Steinberg has gathered an impressive cadre of teacher/scholars who are engaged in a socially just urban pedagogy. Contents include: (1) In Praise of Urban Educators and Urban Kids (Shirley R. Steinberg); (2) Schooling Bodies: Critical Pedagogy and Urban Youth (Antonia Darder); (3) Why a Book on Urban Education? (Joe L. Kincheloe); (4) Why Teach in Urban Settings? (Kecia Hayes); (5) What Does "Good" Urban Teaching Look Like? (Rochelle Brock); (6) Urban Dropouts: Why Persist? (Greg S. Goodman and Adriel A. Hilton); (7) How Can Assessment Work in Urban Schools? (Valerie J. Janesick); (8) Does Hip Hop Have a Home in Urban Education? (Priya Parmar); (9) What Is Urban Science Education? (Christopher Emdin); (10) How Do We Begin a Conversation on Disability in Urban Education? (Linda Ware and Jan W. Valle); (11) How Can Multiple Literacies Be Used for Literacy Learning in Urban Schools? (Elizabeth Quintero); (12) How Important Is Technology in Urban Education? (Vanessa Domine); (13) How Can Urban Students Become Writers? (Winthrop R. Holder); (14) Can Aesthetics Be Taught in Urban Education? (Roymieco A. Carter); (15) How Do We Locate Resistance in Urban Schools? (Luis F. Miron); (16) What Is the Role of Counseling in Urban Schools? (David Forbes); (17) What Does It Mean to Be in a Gang? (Haroon Kharem); (18) Why Is Health an Urban Issue? Asthma: A Case in Point (Leah Henry-Beauchamp and Tina Siedler); (19) Who Is Included in the Urban Family? (Katia Goldfarb); (20) Why Is Urban Education Different from Suburban and Rural Education? (Philip M. Anderson and Judith P. Summerfield); (21) Educar para transformar: How Do We Teach Towards a Critical Bilingual/Bicultural Urban Pedagogy? (Lourdes Diaz Soto); (22) Transformational Urban Education: Answers Bringing the Next Set of Questions (Shirley R. Steinberg); and (23) What We Didn't Ask? Keepin' It Real (Shirley R. Steinberg). [Foreword by Antonia Dardner.] [More] Descriptors: Urban Schools, Urban Teaching, Critical Theory, Dropouts
(2010). English-Language Learners' Reading Achievement: Dialectical Relationships between Policy and Practices in Meaning-Making Opportunities, Reading Research Quarterly. This case study of reading activity in third-grade bilingual classrooms at a state-sanctioned "successful" school examines the influences of the California accountability framework–Proposition 227, No Child Left Behind, and the federal Reading First program–on shifting beliefs and practices around what "counts" as reading. The researcher utilized cultural-historical theoretical perspectives on the socioculturally mediated nature of teaching and learning to examine the joint construction of reading activity as well as account for the institutional constraints within which teachers and their students accomplished this work. Specifically, she employed participant observations and video recordings of Spanish and English language arts instructional periods, in-depth teacher and administrator interviews, a collection of student work samples, and a collection of relevant school and district documents to examine the mediation of reading activity across school, district, state, and federal policy contexts. To examine the dialectical relationship between policy and practice, she analyzes two bilingual classrooms in depth through heuristic tools that illuminate how particular discourse patterns and participation structures align broadly with policy-sanctioned notions of what counts as reading. Analyses of narrative texts and transcripts illustrate that this alignment had implications for English-language learners' meaning-making opportunities. This analysis contributes a theoretical conceptualization of reading activity as implicated in the dialectical relationships between policies, practices, resources, and beliefs around what counts as reading across institutional contexts and how these processes affect English-language learners' reading potential. [More] Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Bilingual Education, Reading Achievement, Bilingualism
(2006). The Politics of Distributing Leadership: Reconsidering Leadership Distribution in Two Texas Elementary Schools, Educational Policy. Recent work on distributed leadership extends an ongoing critique of conventional "heroic" leader portrayals. This article examines work in this area seeking implications for democratic school governance. With material from case studies of two Texas schools, it considers frameworks presented by Spillane, Halverson, and Diamond and by Firestone and Heller. Invoking critical perspectives, it problematizes a conventional managerial slant in the frameworks. The frameworks direct attention to a wider distribution of leadership than is often portrayed. Unfortunately, the frameworks attend primarily to administrative concerns, namely the steering of local actors and channeling of local activity and are largely silent about the politics of distributed leadership. Reconsidering the nature and dynamics of leadership in the two cases, we find broader notions of performance and attention to more deliberative community-building activity reveal the importance of distributed leadership in engendering responsiveness to and reciprocal accountability with local stakeholders. [More] Descriptors: Politics of Education, Governance, Ethnography, Elementary Schools
(2010). Migrant Graduation Specialists: Understanding Their Role in Supporting Secondary Migrant Students, ProQuest LLC. This action research study examined the role of the Migrant Graduation Specialists in public middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools participating in a special project called HOPE (Honing in On Post-secondary Education); and analyzed the viewpoint of migrant students participating in this project in order to determine their perception of the role of the Migrant Graduation Specialists in supporting secondary migrant students. Specifically, this study considered the following research questions: (a) What is the nature of the Migrant Graduation Specialists' role? (b) Which MGS activities have the most impact on secondary migrant students? (c) How do migrant students view their experience in school? and (d) What is the effectiveness of the MGS role in supporting secondary migrant students? The purpose and research questions for this action research helped guide this study throughout this process of inquiry. Additionally, this study relied on qualitative data, including individual interviews, focus groups, field notes and participant observation with Migrant Graduation Specialists and secondary migrant students. The data revealed eight findings critical to understanding the role of the Migrant Graduation Specialist (MGS) position. One of the key findings was that MGSs are there specifically to be the migrant students' biggest advocate. Also, data points out to the importance of providing migrant students with access to leadership skill building opportunities and extra curricular activities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Migrant Education, Migrant Children, Junior High Schools, Junior High School Students
(2010). Silenced Fighters: Identity, Language and Thought of the Nasa People in Bilingual Contexts of Colombia (Voces silenciadas: identidad, lengua y pensamiento de la comunidad nasa en contextos bilingües colombianos), PROFILE: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development. This article is the result of a theoretical investigation and a reflection guided by a revision of literature and a set of interviews conducted of two members of the Nasa community: Adonias and Sindy Perdomo, father and daughter who belong to a Nasa sub-community located in Tierradentro, Cauca, southwestern Colombia. The article addresses three major factors. Firstly, it depicts identity processes that are constructed and constituted through language. Secondly, it explores the power structures perceived by two Nasa people, one of Colombia's minority groups. Finally, it identifies and connects correlating dots between the literature, the testimonies of Adonias and Sindy Perdomo and the teaching practices, approaches and beliefs in the area of ELT (English Language Teaching) in Colombia. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Interviews, American Indians, Self Concept
(2010). Language Development: Understanding Language Diversity in the Classroom, SAGE Publications (CA). Language Development: Understanding Language Diversity in the Classroom offers comprehensive coverage of the language development process for pre- and in-service teachers while emphasizing the factors that further academic success in the classroom, including literacy skills, phonological awareness, and narrative. With chapters written by respected specialists in various fields, this interdisciplinary text illuminates the impact of language development on learning success and distinguishes between language differences and disorders, integrating illustrative case studies as well as helpful classroom strategies that teachers can implement right away. Contents of this book include: (1) An Introduction to Language and Learning (Sandra Levey); (2) Theories and Explanations of Language Development (Sandra Levey); (3) Hearing and Listening Skills (Sandra Levey); (4) The Impact of Hearing Loss on Speech and Language Development (Rochelle Cherry); (5) The Production of Speech Sounds (Stephen Cavallo); (6) The Role of the Brain in Speech and Language (Sandra Levey and Joyce West); (7) Language Development from Birth to Age Three (Sandra Levey); (8) Language Development from Ages Three to Five (Deena Bernstein); (9) Language Development from Age Six Through Adolescence (Cheryl Smith Gabig); (10) Supporting the Development of Literacy Skills from Infancy through School-Age (Sylvia Diehl); (11) Educational Implications of Narrative Discourse (Lynn Bliss and Allyssa McCabe); (12) African American English in the Classroom (Julie Washington and Monique Mills); (13) Bilingual Language Acquisition and Learning (Henriette Langdon); (14) Bilingual Speech Sound Development and Disorders (Leah Fabiano-Smith and Brian Goldstein); and (15) Fostering Teacher and Family Partnership in the Development of Language and Literacy (Susan Polirstok and Jo Hoffman). [More] Descriptors: Phonological Awareness, Literacy, Listening Skills, Language Acquisition
(2006). Effects of an Elementary Dual Language Immersion School Program on Junior High Achievement, Middle Grades Research Journal. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a two-way immersion elementary school program on academic achievement at the end of the elementary school and the end of the first year of junior high school. Longitudinal high stakes test data in reading, writing, and mathematics were collected on native English speakers and native Spanish speakers from the two-way immersion program and on matched controls through the use of an ex post facto quasi-experimental design. Findings suggest consistent support for the two-way immersion program over matched control students across all three achievement areas. It appears the greatest effect for native English speakers may be in reading, while native Spanish speakers may benefit more in writing and mathematics. Limitations to generalizability and causal inferences due to the small sample sizes and inherent weaknesses of the research design are noted. [More] Descriptors: Quasiexperimental Design, Immersion Programs, Academic Achievement, Inferences
(2010). Constructing a Model of ESOL Content-Based Instruction with Native Language Support: Self-Reflective Action Research Grounded in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, ProQuest LLC. The study started as a critical response to a new sheltered science content course introduced by the school district where I teach ESOL students. Although the course was a bold and timely initiative, it was not supported by a well-built curriculum, realistic educational goals, and appropriate instructional materials. As I was unsatisfied with what I was doing at my workplace, I embarked on the road of self-reflective, practitioner action research grounded in cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) in order to elaborate an alternative approach for how to teach science content and English to high school students using native language support. The following research questions guided my inquiry: (1) How can I, as an ESOL teacher, effectively use native language support in a particular high school freshmen ESOL science class in order to help students master both content and language? (2) What instructional activities could be useful to promote students' mastering content and language? (3) What measuring techniques could be applied to monitor students' progress? In my study I effectively complimented traditional qualitative and quantitative action research methods with novel instrumentality of CHAT theory, such as a model of expansive learning and a model of the human activity system. During my study I (a) developed instructional methods and materials for the ESOL science content course, (b) examined the process of their development by means of self-reflection, and (c) evaluated the benefits of these methods and materials for students' learning. The findings of the study displayed that four instructional activities with native language support, such as (1) bilingual dictionary activity, (2) vocabulary development activity, (3) functional grammar activity, and (4) translation practice activity were beneficial for students' mastering English and science content. The findings of the study also demonstrated how the process of teacher learning and improvement of teacher practice develop. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta… [More] Descriptors: Action Research, Research Methodology, Teacher Improvement, Instructional Materials
(2010). Beyond the Nation's Capital: Minority Students' Stumbling on the Tracks after Hobson, Education and Urban Society. The U.S. District of Columbia's Federal Circuit Court decision in "Hobson v. Hanson" (1967) case eliminated racial discriminatory tracking practices in the nation's capitol's public schools. The court ruled that D.C. Public Schools' tracking violated African American and low income students' rights to equal opportunities to education under the equal protection and due process clauses of the 14th Amendment. While D.C. Public Schools eradicated school tracking, it continued in other urban schools. This article examines the Federal Court's role in the perpetuation of school tracking practices and challenges minority students' access to equal educational opportunities in schools with tracked classrooms. It also addresses the need for equitable schools to provide all students with the opportunity to learn. [More] Descriptors: Urban Schools, Public Schools, Equal Education, Court Litigation