Abstract
Urban schools in the United States are struggling. In this era of highstakes testing, teacher accountability, and standards-based curriculum, there is more and more research showing that an achievement gap exists between White students and students of color (Darling-Hammond, 2007). In large part, students of color attend urban schools where underfunding, low teacher retention, and the forces of community poverty pose signifi cant challenges to effective, sustained classroom instruction (Borrero & Bird, 2009; Duncan-Andrade, 2007; Nieto, 2002). Urban schools, and urban school teachers, are left to bear the brunt of the criticism from policy-makers, the media, and the public. More importantly, classroom teachers are left to bear the brunt of the tremendous challenge to serve the diverse needs of all of their students. Schooling in urban areas places added pressure on Catholic schools as well, as declining enrollment is forcing schools to close (Carpenter, 2008; Gragnani, 2006; McDonald & Schultz, 2009). Schools and classroom teachers cannot be alone in the quest to improve classroom instruction for students of color in urban contexts. Universities, and particularly universities in urban areas, are in prime position to provide support to K-12 schools. Fundamentally, most universities in urban centers promote mission statements that declare their commitment to the local community. Practically, universities possess tremendous resources in the form of faculty and students that can provide direct support to local schools. This paper describes a partnership between an alliance of nine urban Catholic schools and an urban university in San Francisco, California. The development of the partnership is described in part, but the details of the actual collaboration and involvement of university faculty with school leaders and teachers are the central foci. This collaboration is outlined to show how university community involvement can provide direct support to urban K-12 schools. Specifi cally, the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) is presented as a foundation upon which university-K-12 partnerships can be built. PLCs in schools are groups of teachers and staff members with a shared vision for improving student learning. PLC members
Highlights
Urban schools in the United States are struggling
This paper describes a partnership between an alliance of nine urban Catholic schools and an urban university in San Francisco, California
There is service of God, service of the Church, service of each other, and service of the general community (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB], 1972). This vision of service means teaching with a specific focus on the development of youths’ sense of faith in everyday life—teaching students about “a spirit of solidarity with and service towards all other persons; a sensitivity for justice; a special awareness of being called to be positive agents of change in a society that is undergoing continuous transformation” (Congregation for Catholic Education, 1982, p. 20). These traditions of academic excellence, community, and service in Catholic education are at the heart of the vision to educate students in urban schools effectively, and are important foundations of the partnership described in this paper
Summary
Universities possess tremendous resources in the form of faculty and students that can provide direct support to local schools. The development of the partnership is described in part, but the details of the actual collaboration and involvement of university faculty with school leaders and teachers are the central foci. This collaboration is outlined to show how university community involvement can provide direct support to urban K-12 schools. In the sections that follow, the practical and theoretical backgrounds to the partnership are outlined, the context is described, and existing research on the core elements of PLCs and their implementation is presented. I discuss the central ideas expressed by teachers throughout their participation in the PLCs and reflect on my own learning as a university faculty participant
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