Petra A Robinson

The Troubling Context of Urban Schools: Instructional Design as a Source of Transformation for Students of Color

Various research and writings have framed the issue of teaching and learning in urban K–12 schools. A significant body of literature exists on the achievement gap between African American and White students in a variety of educational settings (Landsman & Lewis, 2006; Moore, 2003; Obiakor & Beachum, 2006). There is also a plethora of research dealing with the over representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education (Coutinho & Oswald, 2000; Donovan & Cross, 2002; Heller, Holtzman, & Messick, 1982; Hilliard, 1990). It is unfortunate that these concerns are only a small part of the portrait of struggles facing African American learners in urban school settings.