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Kraus proposes a reform program that will reform low-income Minneapolis schools. Then he observes how urban schools attract low-income students and creates a problem of low achievement in these types of schools. This reform wanted no school to have more than 70% of any racial or minority group. He noticed that students in urban schools have lower test scores, so in order to change this they are implementing transfer programs into suburban schools. Most students showed improvement and to test their improvement the students were assessed. This program may improve academic achievement in some schools, but it does not exactly improve urban schools.

The authors share the difference of how the education gap between minority and low-income students compares to the fortunate white students. These low-income students are usually seen in urban schools that are at a disadvantage because of their label as a "failing school". The authors conduct a chart that shows the number of free or reduced lunches, percent of minority students, the student teacher ratio and the percent of poverty rate of failing schools, choice schools and the mean difference in schools in North Carolina. The rates in failing schools were substantially higher than the ones in choice schools. This process was only conducted in North Carolina, but it would be very similar for all states.

The authors research the effects of public school choice in the state of South Carolina under the No Child Left Behind Act. It has been found that public schools are labeled "in need of improvement" if there is a large minority of students and a large amount of poverty independent of rural, suburban, or urban location. The article touches on all the spatial aspects of the academic achievement gap between public schools and how rural failing schools are the most disadvantaged. The research in the article is useful but it is limited to the state of South Carolina.

Georgiou shares the view of how school achievement is effected by the unity of a person's family. Children with parents that have greater incomes and better jobs tend to do better academically than students that comes from lower income. Georgiou conducted a study that shows the differences between the SES and socioeconomic status between suburban and urban schools. The results showed that test scores for people with low income tend to be lower because the lack of unity in their families. Even though this study focuses on schools on the island of Cyprus, this can relate to any urban and suburban schools.

The author of this article does a study of individual level and school structural variables and weather they effect academic achievement. This study was conducted on about 12,000 10th graders so it is sufficient data and very reliable. They found that a schools climate is very important and can influence a students achievement level. Also, the article mentions student involovment will help academic achievement in many students.

the author in this article descirbes how the transition from middle school to high school can cause a lot of stress on a student, which can allow them to not work to their full potential. So many urban schools are now considered failing schools, which means there is unequal learning going on. With the transition there are a change in expectations, social changes and it is a big adjustment. The author mentions a very important part where the achievement gap is widening and oppurtunities are becoming non existent.

Georgiou shares the view of how school achievement is effected by the unity of a person's family. Children with parents that have greater incomes and better jobs tend to do better academically than students that comes from lower income. Georgiou conducted a study that shows the differences between the SES and socioeconomic status between suburban and urban schools. The results showed that test scores for people with low income tend to be lower because the lack of unity in their families. Even though this study focuses on schools on the island of Cyprus, this can relate to any urban and suburban schools.

Using a nationally representative sample of 13,609 kindergarten children in 2,690 classrooms and 788 schools from the base year of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999, along with three-level hierarchical linear models, this study investigates the impact of early literacy instruction on kindergarten children's learning, as measured by direct cognitive test scores, indirect teacher ratings of children's achievement in language and literacy, and indirect teacher ratings of children's approaches to learning. Two composite measures of phonics and integrated language arts are constructed from teachers' reports of their instructional practices. Findings show that classroom mean outcomes were significantly higher when classroom teachers reported using both integrated language arts and phonics more often. However, children with low initial performance benefited less from integrated language arts instruction, as measured by direct measures of achievement; such differential effects of instruction were not observed for teacher ratings of children's achievement and learning style. Policy implications of the findings are discussed. (Abstract taken from JSTOR.)

The author of this article emphasizes on the relationship between urban schools and other shcools. They realize the achievement gap and how it is increasing over the years. The students in urban schools were put through programs to help thier knowledge and to challenge them. The students of the school were to take classes on technology to help further technology because of how much we use it today. This will help students further thier knowledge and help them grow as an individual.

The author examines differences between data they have collected of 13 urban schools. They collected this data by using test scores, surverys, and case studies, in which other people cmae into schools and watched them. They found very inconsistent information because of the small sample size they had. The only assessed low and high scoring students, which may have caused problems. The teachers use assesment in the classroom to see what students needs are and to have them achieve the goals.

This author suggests a way to improve the quality of teachers in urban school districts. This will hopefull help the students and close the achievement gap. It says that Teach for American should adopt the teacher residency to help qualify the teachers. Urban schools are in need of well prepared teachers. The program will screen and recruit college grads that are strong and will make a difference in the urban school districts and will change a childs life.

The author in this article explains that there needs to be a solution to find how to close the achievement gap. They thought that more programs for the children would decrease the problem, but it is still a problem today. The author came up with that if parents get more involved in their childrens school work, then theie achievement will increase.

In this prospective study home literacy is considered a multifaceted phenomenon consisting of a frequency or exposure facet (opportunity), an instruction quality facet, a parent-child cooperation facet, and a social-emotional quality facet. In a multiethnic, partly bilingual sample of 89 families with 4-year-old children, living in inner-city areas in the Netherlands, measures of home literacy were taken by means of interviews with the parents and observations of parent-child book reading interactions when the target children were ages 4, 5, and 6 years. At age 7, by the end of Grade 1, after nearly 1 year of formal reading instruction, vocabulary, word decoding, and reading comprehension were assessed using standard tests. Vocabulary at age 4 and an index of the predominant language used at home were also measured in order to be used as covariates. Correlational and multiple regression analyses supported the hypothesis that home literacy is multifaceted. Home literacy facets together predicted more variance in language and achievement measures at age 7 than each of them separately. Structural equations analysis also supported two additional hypotheses of the present research. First, the effects of background factors (SES, ethnicity, parents' own literacy practices) on language development and reading achievement in school were fully mediated by home literacy, home language, and early vocabulary. Second, even after controlling for the effects of early vocabulary and predominant home language, there remained statistically significant effects of home literacy, in particular, opportunity, instruction quality, and cooperation quality. (Abstract taken from JSTOR.)

In this article it brings up a very good point on how if a teacher is absent, then it will effect the students in their classroom. Some teachers are better than others and that could also effect the students. This study shows that 5-6% are absent days while school is in session. When teachers do take off of work, its hard for the schools to find good substitutes and it then leads to a day of no learning for the students.

The authors of this article talk about he achievement gap among students that are wealthier compared to lower class. The wealthier student get a lot more of the needs and get the support from home, while the lower class do not get as much and do not always have that support. In this article many studies were conducted. These are reliable studies that show how poverty among students can cause more problems in a childs academic development.

An increasingly complex and challenging financial world is facing our nation's youth. Elizabeth Johnson takes a look at the disadvantages that our lower income youth have in regards to financial knowledge and access to learning. Though there has been a rising awareness of the importance of financial literacy among the youth, there needs to be an equal interest in our disadvantaged youth and the access that they are given to improve their financial literacy. The paper addresses building financial capability through learning by doing. It also shares several innovative ideas such as having youth-ran school banking programs. In addition it talks about the successes of Junior Achievement programs addressing economic concepts.

This article presents the authors' views on the educational experiences of intercollegiate student, athletes. The critics of intercollegiate sport argue that winning, which is highly correlated with revenues, has corrupted higher education. Most specifically, at some schools the athletic performance of athletes is more important than their academic achievement.

This athor of the article talks about some ways in which the achievment gap can be closed. they discussed how having school year round could help, but by doing studies it has not increased the students knowledge. There are more practical solutions that need to evolve. The author suggests that if the student is taught reading strategies from their home life, then it will impact the students literacy greatly.

This paper investigates gender differences in academic performance among university athletes at an NCAA Division I school. Using regression analysis, the findings suggest that background scholastic achievement variables and race influence university academic performance for student athletes, but sport participation measures and race are negatively related to university academic performance for males only. The consequences of inequalities between men's and women's athletic programs are explored. Implications for academic programs are discussed. (Abstract from author as it appears on EBSCO.)

This article is about how parents influence thier childrens learning habits. Helping your children learn to read and write must start in the early years. Parents are a support team when thier child is learning to read. The way the parents read and write at home effects how the students read and write. Oral language is a foundation for literacy development.