Educators can use this collection of diverse, thought-provoking perspectives from the best minds in the field to help make the best decisions possible for urban schools. The book's 26 chapters concisely synthesize research on a number of topics and link it to literacy instruction issues-including implications for local, state, and national policy-so literacy programs around urban school's own unique goals, experiences, and needs can be built. After a foreword (Lesley Mandel Morrow) and preface (James Flood and Patricia L. Anders), the book is divided into three sections. Section I, The Human Contexts of Literacy Development in Urban Schools: Poverty, School Violence, and Health Concerns, contains the following chapters: (1) Poverty and Student Achievement: A Hopeful Review (Jane Hannaway); (2) Poverty and Achievement: A Response to Jane Hannaway (Rita M. Bean); (3) The Effects of Health and Social Welfare Factors on Literacy Development in Urban Schools (Joy C. Dryfoos); (4) The Effects of Health and Social Welfare Factors on Literacy Development in Urban Schools: A Response to Joy Dryfoos (MaryEllen Vogt); (5) Violence as a Factor in the Lives of Urban Youth (Douglas Fisher, Jennifer E. Obidah, Mary Helen Pelton, and Jack Campana); (6) Violence as a Factor in the Lives of Urban Youth: A Response to Douglas Fisher, Jennifer Obidah, Mary Helen Pelton, and Jack Campana (Victoria Chou and Esther Mosak); (7) School Programs of Family and Community Involvement to Support Children's Reading and Literacy Development Across the Grades (Steven B. Sheldon and Joyce L. Epstein); and (8) School Programs of Family and Community Involvement to Support Children's Reading and Literacy Development Across the Grades: A Response to Steven Sheldon and Joyce Epstein (Jeanne R. Paratore). Section II, School Contexts of Literacy Development in Urban Settings: Curriculum, Students, and Teachers, presents the next series of chapters in the book: (9) Exemplary Reading Instruction in the Elementary School: How Reading Develops--How Students Learn and How Teachers Teach (Diane Lapp and James Flood); (10) Examining Exemplary Reading Instruction in Urban Settings--Implications for Teachers and the Students They Teach: A Response to Diane Lapp and James Flood (Doris Walker-Dalhouse); (11) Exemplary Literacy Instruction in Grades 7-12: What Counts and Who's Counting? (Donna E. Alvermann); (12) Let's Not Minimize the "Big L" in Adolescent Literacy: A Response to Donna Alvermann (Richard T. Vacca); (13) Professional Preparation and Development of Teachers in Literacy Instruction for Urban Settings (Virginia Richardson and Patricia L. Anders); (14) The Importance of Professional Development to Unlock the Potential of Students in Urban Settings: A Response to Virginia Richardson and Patricia Anders (Eric J. Cooper and Yvette Jackson); (15) Culture and Language: Bidialectical Issues in Literacy (Carol D. Lee); (16) Culture and Language: Bidialectical Issues in Literacy: A Response to Carol Lee (Arnetha F. Ball); (17) The Persistence of Inequality: English-Language Learners and Educational Reform (Kris D. Gutierrez); (18) Culture, Context, and Diversity: A Perspective on Urban School Reform: A Response to Kris Gutierrez (Robert Rueda); (19) Overrepresentation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education in Urban Schools: A Research Synthesis (Cheryl A. Utley, Festus E. Obiakor and Elizabeth B. Kozleski); and (20) A Loss of Equity, Excellence, and Expectations through Overrepresentation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education: A Response to Cheryl Utley, Festus Obiakor, and Elizabeth Kozleski (Victoria J. Risko). Section III, Political and Organizational Contexts of Literacy Development in Urban Schools: Local and State Concerns, contains the concluding chapters of the book: (21) High Performance in High-Poverty Schools: 90/90/90 and Beyond (Douglas B. Reeves); (22) The Seduction of Simple Solutions: A Response to Douglas Reeves (Donna Ogle); (23) A Rhetoric for School Reform (Charles Taylor Kerchner); (24) Should We Close the Book on School Reform? A Response to Charles Taylor Kerchner (Timothy V. Rasinski); (25) State Policy and Its Impact on Urban Reading Programs (Virginia Roach); and (26) Delivering Strong Urban Reading Programs in the Current Policy Environment: Reinvent, Circumvent, or Just Plain Vent? A Response to Virginia Roach (Cathy M. Roller). An author index and subject index are also included.