Abstract
This paper describes the use of research to shift a traditional teacher preparation program, that teaches all courses on the university campus, toward having a focus on "becoming a member of an urban education community," including teaching university courses at an urban elementary school and including community involvement in the teacher preparation program. Interviews, surveys, and focus groups were conducted with three principals, six teachers, and 21 student teachers on how they felt a sense of community in the classroom, the school, and the school's neighborhood. None of the participants described being part of any larger urban educational community outside their own school or school's neighborhood. However, their responses portray active educational communities at the school level. Included are examples of practices gathered from the narrative data and a discussion of how the results are guiding the transition toward creating an urban education community.