Expecting Excellence in Urban Schools: 7 Steps to an Engaging Classroom Practice

One of the most immediate challenges in K - 12 schools lies in implementing powerful pedagogy which emotionally, intellectually, and behaviorally engages students. The challenge is compounded in urban schools where higher proportions of underprepared minority students are in classrooms with teachers who find it difficult to not only create bonds but also in packaging pedagogy in relevant, interesting, and meaningful ways.   Though many teachers can temporarily tap students' interests or episodically engage students in a portion of a lesson, the ability to create and sustain an engaging educational practice remains largely elusive.   

This book supplies the missing threads through establishing a framework for student engagement, which has been cited as the number one factor impacting achievement. It is an easy read, written a highly conversational tone with a strong research basis.  You will explore a 7 step process for emotionally, intellectually, and behaviorally engaging students with a wealth of specific strategies, techniques, and tools which create an engaging educational experience.  Utilizing cornerstones of professional learning communities, suggestions are offered for utilizing action research, collaborative inquiry, journal study, and shared practice to integrate ideas into practice.

Jelani Jabari, Ph.D, is the founder and president of Pedagogical Solutions, LLC, an educational consulting firm that transforms classrooms into centers of excellence. Prior to this, he was a middle school administrator for three years and a teacher for 10 years in the Detroit Public Schools. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Evaluation and Research and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction.