Preparing teachers of at-risk students in urban schools is examined, focusing on the issues raised in teaching disadvantaged students and the problems of teaching in an urban school system. The broad thesis underlying the discussion is that to fulfill human potential, society must have the widest and most popular forms of political freedom and economic democracy. It is argued that school and community must be linked, and that school systems must be altered because systems, not isolated factors, subvert academic achievement. An ecological, or holistic, perspective is adopted that expresses the belief that school must take all of the child's life experiences into account. The first three chapters consider what researchers have learned over the last 30 years about how teachers should be educated to teach in urban schools. Chapter 4 summarizes the history of research on preparing teachers of at-risk students. Chapter 5 analyzes how teacher education might improve education and why a holistic perspective is necessary. Chapter 6 makes more specific recommendations for the kinds of preparation needed. (Contains 276 references.) (SLD)