Urban Schools

Urban Legends

The term "urban legend" typically refers to some wacky myth about city life that nobody can actually verify. In the September issue of T.H.E. Journal, we turn that convention on its head: There's nothing wacky about these legends. Our cover story "Big-City Rules" is about legendary tales of technology implementation in some of our country's largest urban school districts.

• By Michael Hart
• 09/23/11

The term "urban legend" typically refers to some wacky myth about city life that nobody can actually verify. In the September issue of T.H.E. Journal, we turn that convention on its head: There's nothing wacky about these legends. Our cover story "Big-City Rules" is about legendary tales of technology implementation in some of our country's largest urban school districts.

Guaranteeing every student a quality education in districts the size of Chicago's or Boston's or Miami's is no small task, so what happens when you decide to add innovative technology to the mix? And how do you make sure that innovation touches every student and teacher in the district in a timely manner? It sounds daunting, but there are plenty of examples of how it can be done, which you'll discover in "Big-City Rules."

Equally daunting, but just as gratifying, are some of the success stories occurring in smaller rural school districts as well. In the upcoming October issue, you'll have the a chance to read the second part of this two-part series on how schools in different types of communities meet the challenge of implementing technology, including the tale of how its implementation is helping to serve students on Alaska's Kodiak Island in the Pacific Ocean, 300 miles southwest of Anchorage.