“All men are born free: just not for long” ~ John le Carre
I once read a mind-blogging statistic: “8 million students attend urban education setting with only 50% graduating!” This fact floored me!. How was it possible that over 4 million students in urban schools were failing to graduate in the greatest country in the world? Students of the 21st century have the world at their fingertip, but we failing to reach ALL students; especially in an urban context. Future generations stunted before they even get the chance to grow, or to become productive members for their community and society. Our education system, meant to free and advance every person, is now trapping students in a destructive cycle they can’t find their way out of; impacting every aspect of their future. With this massive failure, how will our society be impacted? How will family units be impacted? How does the failure impact economics, generations, the individual student, politics, morality, or the music and the arts; really anything. When we fail to educated and promote all students, in all educational settings, what will be the price.
But, before we can answer any of those questions, we have to understand what exactly is an “Urban” Educational setting and the varying descriptors. I have my own definition of an Urban School based on my experience in two urban school districts, but, I bet for the most part, the general definition of an urban school district, school or classroom probably has varying connotations. The general perception (based on personal survey) of an urban educational setting is as following:
- Based in an urban metropolis (Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, New York City, Chicago, etc)
- Varying student demographics (Immigrants, low-income, low socio-economic status, etc)
- Generally poor student behavior and involvement; high pregnancy, drop out and crime rates
- Limited academic success and background of students
- Limited involvement of parents
- High teacher turn-over rate; unable to handle urban school setting
- Run-down campus, limited budgets, and large class sizes
- “No one cares”mentality
- School located in poverty-stricken neighborhood, high crime rates, influence of gangs, etc.
- Generally associated with specific demographics: Hispanic and African-American
“Many Americans believe that urban schools are failing to educate the students they serve. Even among people who think that schools are doing a good job overall are those who believe that in certain schools, conditions are abysmal. Their perception, fed by numerous reports and observations, is that urban students achieve less in school, attain less education, and encounter less success in the labor market later in life” (Lipman, Burns, and McArthur, 1996).
National Center for Education Statistics -“Urban Schools: The Challenge of Location and Poverty.”
After evaluating many of the different descriptors, I compared them to my personal understanding, knowledge, and experience of an urban educational setting.
Personal Definition: A school setting in where a majority of students, faculty, and community face varying challenges (social-economic, educational, motivation, opportunity, advancement, quality instruction, technology, etc).
Overall, the assumptions and generalizations can be proven correctly, some are steep in biases, some are conveyed through media, and some are flat out wrong. With these descriptors, my mind begins to pull and bend to try and understand the overall complexity of the concept at hand. Is there a simple definition? Probably not, but I know that I can find a baseline definition; a guide that will help me in my search for understanding.
Baseline Definition: Urban education refers to schools in metropolitan communities that typically are diverse, characterized by large enrollments and complexity, many struggling with growth.
So, with a baseline knowledge of an urban educational setting, where do I go next? It is time to observe, time to understand, and time to engage. What are the specific complexity that impact an urban educational school? What does an urban school look like? How are challenges in urban school settings solved? What is the overall impact of a failing urban school on the student, the community, and society as a whole. There are many questions, and, throughout the year, I will share with you my journey and understanding of an Urban Educational Setting!
An Urban Education 