Despite special programs, new technology, curriculum revisions, and compensatory education programs, there has been little improvement in the quality and results of urban education. Better accounatability, research, and staff training, all areas in which the urban university can influence public education, are central to the resolution of urban educational problems. While economic and political factors have increased demands for accountability, the ultimate goal should be to improve student learning and development. An effective accountability program should include: (1) joint participation of teachers, administrators, university personnel, parents, students, and community organizations; (2) consideration of all factors that influence learning, and concern with cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes; (3) systematic measurement of objectives; (4) built-in mechanisms for experimentation and improvement of instruction; and (5) self criticism and an adequate reporting system. Educational research, another vehicle for the improvement of urban education, should be treated as the accumulation of experimental results. Researchers and curriculum planners must communicate regarding the results of current research and development activities. Urban universities can also contribute to improved urban education through staff development, including preservice and inservice teacher training, adequate supervision of trainees by people with urban school experience, and the integration of relevant psychological and cultural materials into courses taken by future teachers. (Author/GC)