Websites

The Education Trust -- a national organization devoted to research and action to address the education/opportunity gap.  Their research reports on both issues/problems AND successful schools and effective educational strategies.  This site provides lots of excellent resources.

Whither Opportunity? Rising Inequality, Schools and Children's Life Chances -- information and an executive summary about a 2011 book that "illuminates the ways rising inequality is undermining one of the most important goals of public education -- the ability of schools to provide children with an equal chance at academic and economic success."

The Nation’s Report Card -- This website is full of charts and figures on 2008’s reading and mathematics scores. You can isolate data from a variety of categories of student scores including student age level (ages 9, 13, and 17), race, social class, gender, and parent education.

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say -- This article from the New York Times discusses the way that, despite the achievement gap between white and black students slowly decreasing over time, the gap between poor and wealthy students is drastically increasing. It also discusses possible reasons for this achievement gap.

Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates -- lots of useful date from the 1980's through 2008.

High School Graduation Rates in the United States -- a report of 4-year high school completion rates for the class of 1998 -- very distressing numbers.

High School Graduation Rates Unacceptably Low, State Says -- an article about 2005 4-year high school graduation rates in New York State and City.

Low Income Hinders College Attendance Even for the Highest Achieving Students -- a report, with an excellent graph, that provides evidence of how low income students are less likely to attend college, even with high academic achievement.

Mind the Gap: Why Good Schools are Failing Black Students -- an excellent 2009 radio documentary about how in many well-funded suburban schools where white students are doing well, many black and Hispanic students, even youth from middle-class families, are falling behind. This one-hour radio documentary looks at the causes of the minority achievement gap through the stories of students, teachers, and parents at a diverse public high school in Maplewood, NJ.

Closing the Racial Achievement Gap: The Best Strategies of the Schools We Send Them To -- a good article by Dr. Pedro Noguera, who has done extensive research on this issue.

Yes We Can: Telling the Truths and Dispelling the Myths About Race and Education in America -- a 2006 report that examines the educational practices and policies that have raised academic achievement for low-income and minority students, and offers compelling evidence that children of color excel in school when given the right teaching, right classes, and right support.

Middle Class and Marginal? -- Four studies are used to illustrate the way that even students from middle-class homes may be negatively influenced by their socioeconomic backgrounds when surrounded by peers of even higher SES at elite universities.

Boundary Crossing for Diversity, Equity and Achievement: Inter-District School Desegregation and Educational Opportunity -- a 2009 study that "provides an overview of the educational and social benefits of eight inter-district school desegregation programs – from Boston to East Palo Alto, CA -- that have enabled disadvantaged, Black and Latino students to cross school district boundary lines and attend far more affluent, predominantly White and privileged suburban public schools. These programs, some of which date back to the Civil Rights Movement, grew out of grassroots struggles for social justice and are aimed at reducing inequality by assuring that students who have traditionally had the fewest educational opportunities would gain access to the “best” schools. Despite the fact that these programs are out of sync with the current political framing of problems and solutions in the field of education, the research on these programs to date suggests that they are far more successful than recent choice and accountability policies at closing the achievement gaps and offering meaningful school choices."

Teaching Tolerance -- This website offers a collection of classroom resources, professional development programs, and magazine and publication section. It seeks to act as a medium for the educational community in order to educate for a diverse democracy.

Edutopia -- an organization committed to identifying and supporting practices and programs in public education that work, with an emphasis on global and project-oriented learning -- the site includes "hundreds of exemplary programs and smart practices."

The Harlem Children's Zone -- a radio report about Geoffery Canada's ambitious and hopeful reform project in Harlem, New York City.

The Harlem Children's Zone Website -- detailed information about Geoffery Canada's reform organization, which implements the attitude, "whatever it takes" to prove that "poor, black children can and do succeed."

Closing the Racial Achievement Gap: The Best Strategies of the Schools We Send Them To -- a good article by Harvard Professor Dr. Pedro Noguera.

New Leaders -- New Leaders is an organization dedicated towards improving student learning through "developing transformational school leaders and advancing policies and practice."

Closing the Achievement Gap: Two Views from Current Research -- a 2003 discussion of research about the experiences of African American and Latino students in suburban schools -- includes discussion of work by now deceased UC Berkeley Prof. John Ogbu, about the experiences of African American students in Shaker Heights, OH, and by Harvard Prof. Ron Ferguson.

The Trouble with Black Boys: The Role and Influence of Environmental and Cultural Factors on the Academic Performance of African American Males-- a very good article by scholar Pedro Noguera -- valuable for all who are interested in addressing the education/achievement gap.

Thin Ice: "Stereotype Threat" and Black College Students-- another valuable article by Stanford Professor, Claude Steele, from 1999 -- explains the concept of stereotype threat and related research -- very useful to educators and teachers.

The Village at Ithaca -- a community-based organization of concerned citizens who are working in Ithaca, NY to eliminate the education gap.

Webster Groves Writing Project -- a successful multicultural approach to the teaching of writing -- this program has been written about in a number of books and articles about effective use of culture in designing and delivering instruction.

AVID -- a program that "places academically average students in advanced classes and supports them for success there" -- it has been very successful as measured by college admission rates of program participants, most of whom are students from groups with a history of high dropout rates and underperformance in school.

The Algebra Project -- an exceptional math education program, now nationally recognized, created by Civil Rights activist and Harvard Ph.D., Bob Moses -- a creative and culturally responsive approach to teaching African American and other youth algebra -- algebra is a major gatekeeping discipline and course that often determines whether youth are placed on the college prep path -- the program works, and the website includes lesson ideas and other useful information.

The Preuss School -- a charter middle and high school dedicated to providing a rigorous college prep education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college -- affiliated with the Univ. of California, San Diego.

Inner City School Founder: No Miracle, Just Teaching -- a radio program segment about Paul Adams who took a once Catholic school from the brink of being closed to becoming a very successful non-profit independent school that sends 100% of its inner city students to college. From the Providence St. Mel website: "To score highly on standardized tests, our faculty helps students build their critical thinking and problem solving skills."

The Capstone Institute at Howard University -- "Capstone Institute is a multi-disciplinary center that implements and supports school reform and school improvement initiatives that focus on "educating the whole child," and interlinks research, theory and practice in the areas of learning, curriculum and instruction, professional development, social work, policy, parent and community engagement, organizational change, assessment and evaluation, and psychosocial/emotional development."

KIPP Schools (Knowledge is Power Program) -- a model school program achieving significant success with children of color and limited resources who are so often relegated to inferior schools and education -- based on a combination of traditional and progressive educational ideas and begun by two grads of the Teach For America program.

Uncommon Schools -- a charter school organization that is achieving significant success in addressing the education gap -- students at their North Star Academy, in Newark, NJ, (most of whom are students of color who recieve free and reduced lunch) outperform students statewide on standardized tests and go on to college at very high rates (100% in 2006).

The Harvard Family Research Project -- a project founded on the belief that "for children and youth to be successful, there must be an array of learning supports around them. These supports, which must reach beyond school, should be linked and work toward consistent learning and developmental outcomes for children from birth through adolescence. Examples of nonschool learning supports include early childhood programs, families, after school programs, libraries, and other community-based institutions."

Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America -- "Working in conjunction with high schools, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) seeks to identify promising high school juniors whose socio-economic, racial, and/or ethnic background is currently under-represented at the nation's top colleges and universities. LEDA's goal is to guide these students through the college application process, prepare them for the college experience and position them for leadership in the private and public sectors."

Educating Young Minds -- an exciting program in Los Angeles. "Educating Young Minds is a non-profit learning center that has been helping inner-city school children, ages 5-18, excel at school and at life since 1987. With “home-study” instruction during the day, after-school tutoring, and basic skills and standardized test preparation classes on Saturdays, Educating Young Minds is a vigorous program that serves students who are considered under-represented or at high risk in our society. Educating Young Minds also supports the progressive student who desires advanced academic support."

The SEED Foundation -- an interesting charter public school idea in Washington, DC, that involves students living at the school during the week. In both 2004 and 2005 100% of SEED School graduates went to college.

Closing the Achievement Gap -- a documentary film about Amistad Academy, a charter school founded in 1999, with the goal of "closing the persistent and dramatic achievement gap between minority students and white students in America's public school system."

The SAGE Program -- The Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program has been proven to improve student achievement in schools serving low-income communities. It does this through a reduction in class size, longer school hours, collaboration with community organizations, rigorous curriculum and high standards for teachers. When compared with the use of vouchers, this program produces higher levels of achievement through school reform rather than school choice.

The New Roots School -- a charter school in Ithaca, NY that is "committed to sustainability education and social justice".

No Child Left Behind -- the official government website for and about this federal school reform legislation.

John Hunter: Teaching with the World Peace Game -- a TED Talk by 4th grade teacher John Hunter about an incredible role play project he uses with his students to develop skills of critical analysis, reasoning, emotional intelligence, and much more.  A very inspiring video and an amazing teacher and man!

Some Good Books and Articles

Baker, Melissa, and Pattie Johnson. 2010. The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on High Stakes Testing Reexamined. Journal of Instructional Psychology.

Barton, P. 2004. Why Does the Gap Persist? Educational Leadership, 62(3):8-13.

Caldas, Stephen J., and Carl Bankston. 1997. Effect of School Population Socioeconomic Status on Individual Academic Achievement. The Journal of Educational Research.

Chenowith, K. 2007. "It's Being Done": Academic Success in Unexpected Schools. Harvard Universtiy Press.

Chenowith, K. 2009.  How It's Being Done: Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools.  Harvard Education Press.

Chenowith, K. 2010. Leavning Nothing to Chance: Principals from High Performing, High Poverty, and High Minority Schools Discuss What It Takes to Ensure that All Students Achieve.  Educational Leadership, 68(3), 16-21.

Comer, J., et al., 1996. Rallying the Whole Village: The Comer Process for Reforming Education. Teachers College Press.

Conchas, G. 2006. The Color of Success: Race and High Achieving Urban Youth. Teachers College Press.

Delpit, L. 1995. Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. The New Press.

DeRoche, T. 2004. Not Just a Necessary Evil: When Teachers Embrace Standards and Testing. Education Week.

Educational Leadership, 2004. The entire issue of Educational Leadership, November, 2004 (#62, v.3) is devoted to "Closing the Achievement Gaps."

Educational Leadership, 2006. The entire issue of Educational Leadership, February, 2006 (#63, v. 5) is devoted to "Helping Struggling Students."

Espinoza-Herold, M. 2003. Issues in Latino Education: Race, School Culture, and the Politics of Academic Success. Allyn and Bacon.

Ferguson, R. 2007.  Toward Excellence with Equity: An Emerging Vision for Closing the Achievement Gap.  Harvard Education Press.

Finnan, C. & Swanson, J. 2000. Accelerating The Learning of All Students: Cultivating Culture Change in Schools, Classrooms, and Individuals. Westview Press.

Gay, G. 2010. Culturally Responsive Teaching. Teachers College Press.

Gonzalez, M. et al., (Ed.) 1998. Educating Latino Students: A Guide to Successful Practice. Technomic Publishing.

Irons, P.. 2002. Jim Crow's Children: The Broken Promise of the Brown Decision. Penguin Group.

Kunjufu, J. 1997. Motivating and Preparing Black Youth for Success. African American Images.

Ladson-Billings, G. 1994. The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. Jossey-Bass.

Lewis, A. 2004. Washington Commentary: Redefining "Inexcusable." Phi Delta Kappan

Mehan, H. et al., 1996. Constructing School Success: The Consequences of Untracking Low-Achieving Students. Cambridge Univ. Press.

Morris, V. & Morris, C. 2000. Creating Caring and Nurturing Educational Environments for African American Children. Bergin and Garvey/Greenwood Publishing.

Moses, R. 2001. Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project. Beacon Press.

Nasir, N. & Cobb, P. (Eds.) 2007. Improving Access to Mathematics: Diversity and Equity in the Classroom. Teachers College Press.

Noguera, P. 2003. City Schools and the American Dream: Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education. Teachers College Press.

Noguera, P & Wing, J. (Eds.). 2006. Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools. Jossey-Bass.

Perry, T., Steele, C., & Hilliard, A. 2003. Young, Gifted and Black: Promoting High Achievement among African-American Students. Beacon Press.

Price, H.B.. 2002. Achievement Matters: Getting Your Child the Best Education Possible. Kensington Publishing Corp

Reyes, P. et al., (Eds.), 1999. Lessons from High Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities. Teachers College Press.

Roach, R. 2001. Gaining New Perspectives on the Achievement Gap (Algebra Project, Math and Science Literacy). Black Issues in Higher Education, 18(1).

Slavin, R. & Calderon, M. 2001. Effective Programs for Latino Students. Lawrence Erlbaum.

Thernstorm, A., Thernstorm, S.. 2003. No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning. Simon & Schuster.

Thompson, G.. 2009. A Brighter Day: How Parents Can Help African American Youth. African American Images.

Trumball, E. 2001. Bridging Cultures Between Home and School: A Guide for Teachers, with a Special Focus on Immigrant Latino Families. Lawrence Erlbaum.

Valdes, G. 2001. Learning and Not Learning English: Latino Students in American Schools. Teachers College Press.

Valencia, R. (Ed.) 1991. Chicano School Failure and Success. Falmer Press.

Valenzuela, A. 1999. Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring. SUNY Press.

Walpole, M. 2007. Social Class Effects and Multiple Identities. Economically and Educationally Challenged Students in Higher Education.

Walsh, C. 1996. Pedagogy and the Struggle for Voice: Issues of Language, Power and Schooling for Puerto Ricans. Bergin & Garvey.

Welch, O. 1997. Standing Outside on the Inside: Black Adolescents & the Construction of Academic Identity. SUNY Press.

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Zero-tolerance policies lack flexibility -- This article explores different zero tolerance policies regarding weapons, alcohol and drugs. It argues that extreme policies are not the answer to dealing with unwanted conduct in schools.

Zero Tolerance Policies: Are the Schools Becoming Police States? -- In this article John Whitehead goes into detail about why teachers and officials do have a choice when it comes to punishing a student under a zero tolerance policy.