Smith College's Moodle

This course explores how the challenges facing schools in America’s cities are entwined with social, economic and political conditions present within the urban environment. Our essential question: How have urban educators and policy makers attempted to provide a quality educational experience for youth when issues associated with their social environment often present significant obstacles to teaching and learning? Using relevant social theory to guide our analyses, we investigate school reform efforts at the macro-level by looking at policy-driven initiatives such as high stakes testing, vouchers and privatization, and at the local level by exploring the work of teachers, parents, youth workers and reformers.