The conditions that students, parents, teachers, and administrators experienced are a product of economic, political, and social influences that impact the day-to-day operation of urban schools. One cannot understand the context of urban schools in the United States without considering the economic, political, and social influences that have made urban settings what they are today. The purpose of this article is to describe the educational contexts of urban schools. The article begins with a brief history of urbanization and the sociopolitical policies that have influenced urban schools. The authors then discuss the particular context of the Columbus Public Schools (CPS), where the studies reported in this monograph occurred. Finally, the authors provide an overview of the professional development (PD) model on which the studies are based. (Contains 1 figure and 2 notes.)