This investigation examined the effects of guided notes on the academic performance of seven students with learning and behavior problems, who were in a medium-security juvenile detention center. The findings of this study indicate that using guided notes could be an effective strategy for improving the academic performance of incarcerated youths with learning and behavior problems. The results of this study replicate earlier studies in which guided notes were used during whole-class instruction (i.e.

Teacher education programs are at a critical link for the preparation of teachers who possess an ethical stance regarding the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to intervene effectively with all students. Therefore, teacher education is taking center stage in the discussion relevant to teacher quality and its effectiveness on the achievement of diverse students in urban settings. Learning climates and expectations must be created where self-reflection and critical cultural consciousness are part of the routine, normative demands of teacher education if systemic change is to occur. The author contends that it is essential that candidates possess more than pedagogical knowledge but also the essential dispositions to affirm and embrace all students. Therefore, agendas should be espoused that promote educational equity for all students, while ensuring that indeed no child is left behind.

If teachers represent a child’s most important asset, they also can be a child’s greatest liability, especially in states where a shortage of well-qualified teachers impedes the academic progress of African American students in learning contexts. The author asserts that a transformation in practices must occur in teacher education programs if these programs are to become places where preservice candidates learn to adopt pedagogies that are instrumental in the academic achievement of African American students in urban schools. A proposal for comprehensive, transformative approaches for achieving systemic change is warranted in the eradication of structural inequities that currently exist in urban schools.

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