Focus on Urban Education Initiatives:
IRA Programs and Resources

High poverty rates, a highly diverse student population, and considerable turnover among classroom teachers contribute to the challenges facing urban schools in the United States. IRA is committed to helping teachers, schools, and communities meet those challenges, with resources such as those linked below.

Recommended reading

Books and articles

News stories on urban issues, from Reading Today Daily

Meetings and events

IRA’s annual convention always includes sessions on topics in urban education. The following sessions appeared on the program for the 2007 convention.

Symposium: “Urban Teacher Education: Literacy Leaders for Urban Teacher Education (LLUTE) Review of Policies, Practices, and Possibilities,” Jill Lewis et al., presenters

Symposium: “Dissolving the Boundaries Between a College Classroom and an Urban Elementary School: A Second Grade Poetry Lesson Teaches Preservice Teachers Many Valuable Lessons,” Kim Truesdell, presenter

Session: “I Don't Have the Conch Anymore: Findings from a Cross-Case Analysis of Literacy Coaching in One Urban High School,” Julia Emig, presenter

Microworkshop: “Planning for Schoolwide Professional Development: Focusing on Essential Literacy Components in Urban Secondary Schools,” Maria Grant et al., presenters

Session: “Using Accountable Talk to Improve Reading Comprehension in an Underperforming, Urban School,” Curt Dudley-Marling and Sarah Michaels, presenters

Microworkshop: “Lessons Learned: Effective Literacy Coaching Practices in an Urban School District,” Hope O'Neil and Janise Lane, presenters

In addition, IRA’s biennial world congress and annual state/provincial and regional conferences routinely include sessions on topics of special interest to educators in an urban setting.

Community

Diversity Committee

Literacy Leadership for Urban Teacher Education Commission

For more information about urban education initiatives, contact IRA’s Washington office.