reported that to simply focus on developing
standards and raising expectations is not sufficient:
“We need to face the unpleasant reality that
education by itself is a weak treatment.” In support
of this conclusion, a study conducted for the U.S.
Department of Education (1996) indicated several
important factors which adversely impact student
behavior. These factors include:
• Urban schools had larger enrollments, on
average, than suburban schools at both the
elementary and secondary levels;
• Student behavior problems were more common
in urban schools than in other schools,
particularly in absenteeism, classroom discipline,
weapons possession, and student pregnancy;
• Teacher absenteeism, an indicator of morale,
was more of a problem in urban schools than in
rural or suburban schools;
• Students in high poverty schools, regardless of
location, were less likely to feel safe in school
and spent less time on homework than those in
low poverty schools; and
• Young adults who had attended urban and urban
high-poverty schools had much higher poverty
and unemployment rates later in life than those
who had attended other schools.