Issues Facing K-12 Leadership in Urban School Settings

What are the issues facing urban education in the K-12 environment and beyond? And to what extent is crime a hot topic among urban educators?

Some have attributed the complicated issues facing urban education including crime and poverty to school boards and administrations, but the larger issue seems to be funding and support from diverse institutions (Wilson, 1994). The need for high quality and universal educational standards is a must within the United States, where public schools vary tremendously in their ability to serve varying populations (Wilson, 1994).

At this time there is a great deal of support for education as a whole, but not enough emphasis on curing the ills that exist within the urban education sector of education.

There are many issues facing urban education, including poverty. Within the United States for example, the problem of child poverty exists, which impacts a students chances for success. A 1997 survey suggested that the U.S. had the highest child poverty rate (18.9%) of any industrialized nation in the world (Goldenberg, 2003). Generally schools with higher levels of poverty among students and families are staffed with less experienced and qualified teachers which further complicates the issue of urban education (Goldenberg, 2003).

Generally American students attend school for a greater length of time than citizens in other countries and more students attend college than in any other nation (Wilson, 1994). The highest achieving students within the U.S. compare well with students in foreign countries (Wilson, 1994). This is not necessarily the case however among students attending urban educational facilities, where the standards of education for many seem to be lower than what they should be. This may be attributed to a number of factors including funding and lack of emphasis on curing the ills of urban education within the United States.

Urban public educational facilities however face unique challenges, including changing family structures, high rates of student turn over, spending constraints and districts that are complicated to operate (Wilson, 1994). Urban schools generally have larger concentrations of students who are racial and ethnic minorities, with more than 75% of the population usually non-white (Wilson, 1994). Urban education also face higher concentrations of poverty, with more than 50% of students eligible for free or reduced fee lunches (Wilson, 1994).

Other challenges facing urban educators include higher rates of crime,...

Urban school districts face more immigrant populations and students that have a limited ability to speak English (Wilson, 1994). At present there are few successful strategies in place that have adequately addressed these issues within urban education, leaving the door wide open for improvements. Educators must collaborate with officials and community members to tackle each of these issues head on if the nation's children are to have a shot at a fair and equitable opportunity for learning and growth within the urban educational environment.
Violence is increasingly becoming an issue, where more and more students have to fear the very environment they should fee safe enough to learn in. Violence in urban educational institutions is evidenced each and every day on the news and in the media. The stories that plague five o'clock newscasts increasingly cause concern among families and parents of students attending urban institutions, but little progress has been made in the way of urban educational reform.

For the issues facing urban education to be addressed, particularly for violence to be curbed and adequately addressed, stronger collaborative measures are necessary between government agencies, educators and the public to commit to the issues and problems facing urban educators, so that all children may be presented with ample opportunities for learning in a safe and equitable environment.

Reference:

Goldenberg, I.I.; Hamburger, M.; Kunz, D; Stevenson, J.M. (2003). "Urban education:

Connections between research, propaganda and prevailing views of education." Education, Vol. 123, Issue 3, p. 628.

Wilson, J.C. (1994). "Urban Education: A Board Members Perspective." Phi Delta

Kappan, Vol. 75, Issue 5, p. 382