Book Description

When people hear the term "urban", they immediately associate it with negative attributes such as poverty stricken students and families, ill-prepared students, run down facilities, and an inconsistency in teachers. When compared to any kind of school whether its' private or public, urban school districts have the worst label of all. Why is there a consistent negative perception when it comes to urban school districts? Can these perceptions be transformed to meet the varying needs of our students? Yes they can....one school at a time! School leaders, principals and superintendents have the power to make the transformation needed to change the negative perception of our urban schools and the students. In many cases, these negatively perceived urban schools have reached success levels that were totally unexpected. So where's the magic? It all lies in the hands, minds, and hearts of school leaders. What makes a successful urban school leader? Urban school leaders have so many responsibilities that are not as prevalent in non-urban school schools. Students in urban schools tend to have low self esteem and often portray self-hatred. Who taught the black child self-hatred? The purpose of this article is to explore the successful strategies that have been used by school administrators to efficiently enhance and empower the school climate internally while producing positive results externally. Answering the following questions, the researcher will provide a clear and concise solution to this ever-growing issue in education: (1) What precisely constitutes an "urban school"?; (2) Who taught the black child self-hatred?; (3) What determines "success" in urban schools?; (4) What intrinsic qualities must a school leader possess in order to turn negative perceptions into positive results in urban schools?; and (5) Does prior experiences really matter or play a role in the capabilities of an urban school leader?