The School of Education, University of the West Indies, Mona, in collaboration with Operation Save Jamaica, hosted a two-day symposium, “Changing the Landscape of Education within Urban Schools and Communities” in Kingston, Jamaica on October 31 and November 1, 2013. The goals of the symposium were to expose educators to the rugged terrain that many children from inner-city communities encounter and also to facilitate discussions among the participants about some of the challenges and solutions to the critical issues raised by our presenters. Approximately 120 persons attended. Among the atendees were school principals, teachers, teacher educators and community workers from Jamaica, Canada, the USA and the UK. At the end of the symposium participants agreed that the information presented should be compiled and used to provide insights to, and promote dialogue among educators and policymakers. This special issue of the Caribbean Journal of Education is focused on practical solutions to the challenges faced by underresourced communities.