Urban districts suffer from a severe shortage of qualified science teachers. Therefore, many new science teachers will need to take positions in urban districts with little or no exposure to urban communities. As a result, prospective teachers find it difficult to learn how to negotiate the cultural contexts of urban teaching. Consequently, it is essential for teacher preparation programs to begin to examine the cultural contexts of urban science teaching to understand how to support the personal and professional well being of novice urban science educators. Through in-depth phenomenological interviews this research documents the experiences, perceptions, and beliefs of veteran urban science teachers and how they navigated pathways to successful teaching careers. Results focus on how the cultural levels of teacher socialization (personal, institutional, and societal) shaped their induction into the teaching profession. In addition, the analysis of the data suggests that teacher preparation programs need to be reconceptualized to include a specific focus on culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy, teacher identity development, and how to develop community networks and connections. This restructuring is key for novice urban teachers to either increase their cultural sensitivity, or align their own cultural belief systems in-order to develop the necessary skill set to become successful urban science teachers.

It was the purpose of this study (1) to discover if an interpretation of the principle of separation of church and state is an issue in public school counseling; (2) to discover the extent to which public school students bring moral or religious problems to guidance personnel; (3) to describe procedures reportedly used by guidance personnel in handling these problems, as well as to enumerate apparent difficulties in doing so; (4) to discover the effect, if any, of the current psychology-religion controversy upon school counseling; (5) to report counselor opinions regarding the adequacy of their professional preparation in dealing with these problems; (6) to suggest areas for further study.

Empirical evidence substantiating the effectiveness of engagement programs to support at-risk students is virtually nonexistent. In an attempt to improve student engagement and literacy for Grade 9 students enrolled in a developmental curriculum known as the essential-level program, the staff at one school implemented single-gender classes during the 2010--2011 school year. This project study was designed as a summative, goals-based, quantitative program evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the first-year single-gender program based on its stated goals and objectives. A purposive sample of 45 students, 6 teachers, and 2 educational assistants in the essential-level program was used to collect pretest and posttest Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) score data as well as teacher and student survey data related to perceptions of single-gender classes. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine perceptions of student engagement, academic achievement, and behavior in single gender classrooms. Findings revealed that students and teachers indicated more positive perceptions toward single-gender classes. Analysis of covariance revealed that students in single-gender classes showed significantly higher reading achievement scores when compared to students in mixed-gender classrooms. The results of this program evaluation contribute to social change by adding to the body of knowledge focused on quantitative program evaluations, addressing a deficiency in the literature on single-gender instruction for at-risk students, and assisting the educational community in decision making to address gaps in literacy development and student engagement.

The majority of high school dropouts read below the grade level at which they dropped out; nearly half read at or below the sixth-grade level. Students who " ... learn to read better are usually able to do better work in their subjects of study." Major authorities concur that maturity of reading achievement is crucial to success in college. Th e student whose reading instruction ceased with elementary school may find he is ". . . no better reader at the end of senior high school than he was when he entered high school." Developmental reading for all types of students can be a deciding factor in their future. Conant states that it should be available on a voluntary basis " ... for all the pupils in the school. The counselors and teachers of English should . . . urge students to take advantage of the opportunity .... " Such programs are specifically check listed in The Evaluative Criteria for Junior High Schools.

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