The Center for Urban Education (CUE) aims to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and scholarship and community outreach in the field of urban education. CUE focuses all its activities – research, outreach, and teacher education programs – on issues critical to education, in urban environments. The goal of the Center is to develop a comprehensive, research-based, and, at the same time community-focused platform to improve the teaching and learning for all children in urban communities. We aim to provide a focus and support for sustained investigation of issues in education in urban areas. The Center is a place where fundamental problems in urban education are studied, discussed and analyzed through research, outreach to schools, as well as (in the longer run) through colloquium series and meetings.

Justification
The City College of New York has historically had the mission of access and excellence for “the children of the whole people” of the City of New York. Situated in one of the largest and most diverse urban communities in the nation and the world, the College as a whole, and the School of Education, in particular, are immersed in challenges and opportunities presented by this City and its people. The School of Education, in particular, has at the core of its mission to “prepare educators to support students of our diverse citizenry to meet the challenges of the 21st century and be active participants in our democracy”. Arguably, attaining equity and democratizing access to higher education for urban students involves access to quality K-12 education. Strengthening CCNY’s presence in the public K-12 education of the City of New York is central to achieving its mission.