All of my research activity has been concerned in the final sense with impact. Thus, I conduct research that has practical applications in real school settings. I am especially interested in authentic learning environments that are faced with the challenge of improving education for urban and inner-city populations. These include:

• traditional schools in which students of color are underachieving;
• community-based organizations that have become an integral part of an alternative education system, offering a range of choices to individuals seeking 'second chance' or 'last chance' opportunities on the road to personal, academic, or economic success; and
• teacher education programs that prepare teachers to teach in urban and inner-city contexts.

My investigations within these three intersecting contexts have allowed me to forge strong connections between my research, teaching and service activities. The basic elements of these activities are subsumed in three broad questions:

(1) How can we apply what we are learning about the oral and written practices of AAVE speakers to improve the academic experiences of a broad range of under-achieving students?

(2) How can we apply what we are learning about the organization and implementation of instruction within successful community-based organizations to enhance the teaching and learning of students in more traditional classroom settings?

(3) How can we apply what we are learning about the development of teachers who are sensitive to linguistic issues to facilitate the development of reflective practitioners and agents of action and change in urban and inner-city schools across national boundaries?