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Anne OBrienMay 25, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Diversity, Teacher Development, All Grades

Last week marked the 58th anniversary of Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka, arguably the most important Supreme Court decision of the 20th century. With the declaration that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," the Court determined that laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional

A Call to Action: Challenges Facing Global Youth

Suzie BossMarch 28, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Global Education, Project-Based Learning, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Today's students may not realize it, but they belong to the largest peer group in history. This global "youth bulge" of more than 1.2 billion faces economic and social challenges which many young people are ill-equipped to tackle, according to a new report from the International Youth Foundation. Helping prepare this unprecedented number of 15- to 24-year-olds for a more productive future will require better access to education and expanded opportunities to develop essential career skills.

Celebrating Women in Technology

Mary Beth HertzMarch 23, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Career and Technical Education, Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12), Math, Science

As I've been reading about and following conversations during this year's Women's History Month, I wanted to reflect on women in the IT and edtech world.

As an elementary educator, I have found that women are often the majority in elementary schools and at education conferences. However, when attending tech conferences or when looking at tech departments in schools and districts, it becomes harder to find female representation.

Do's & Don'ts For Teaching English-Language Learners

Larry FerlazzoMarch 12, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Best Practices, Comprehensive Assessment, Differentiated Instruction, Diversity, English-Language Learners, English Language Arts, World Language Learning

The number of English-Language Learners in the United States is growing rapidly, including many states that have not previously had large immigrant populations. As teachers try to respond to the needs of these students, here are a few basic best practices that might help. We have found that consistently using these practices makes our lessons more efficient and effective. We also feel it is important to include a few "worst" practices in the hope that they will not be repeated!

Finding the Genius in Hip Hop Education

Suzie BossFebruary 20, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Arts Education, Curriculum, Literacy, Project-Based Learning, Teacher Development, Urban Schools, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), All Grades, Music, Visual Arts

Author and educator Sam Seidel recalls meeting a student during a tour of the High School for the Recording Arts (HSRA) in St. Paul, Minn. When Seidel asked if he could buy one of the student's instrumentals, the young man told him no, but maybe they could work out a licensing arrangement. Then the student whipped out a contract.

The Hole in the Wall Project and the Power of Self-Organized Learning

Sugata MitraFebruary 3, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Classroom Technology, Digital Divide, Technology Integration, All Grades

In early 1999, some colleagues and I sunk a computer into the opening of a wall near our office in Kalkaji, New Delhi. The area was located in an expansive slum, with desperately poor people struggling to survive. The screen was visible from the street, and the PC was available to anyone who passed by. The computer had online access and a number of programs that could be used, but no instructions were given for its use.

Creating an Anti-Racist Classroom

Danielle Moss LeeJanuary 12, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Best Practices, Diversity, , Teacher Development

In an age where classroom teachers find themselves defending their profession and their results, the discussion of race in the classroom seems like one more opportunity for the finger-pointers who seek deeper understanding about the declining academic performance of all American students.

Five Steps to Widening the College Pipeline for African American and Latino Students

Danielle Moss LeeJanuary 5, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, College Readiness, Diversity, , Urban Schools, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

After decades of educational attainment gains among African-American and Latino students, American educators find themselves in the midst of a major retraction of many of those gains for the students who can least afford it. In an ideal world, we'd just add curriculum to young minds and stir for stellar academic results.

After decades of educational attainment gains among African-American and Latino students, American educators find themselves in the midst of a major retraction of many of those gains for the students who can least afford it. In an ideal world, we'd just add curriculum to young minds and stir for stellar academic results. Read More

The Ghost of Ed Reform Past -- and the Hope of Ed Reform Future

Anne OBrienDecember 16, 2011

Tags Accountability, Achievement Gap, Education Reform, Primary (K-2), Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12), All Grades, Illinois

As 2011 winds to a close, we are about to turn the page on a year that saw new evidence suggesting that the education reform policies du jour aren't really working. Most charter schools perform no better than traditional public schools (at least in Chicago); value-added modeling does not produce consistent, reliable measures of teacher effectiveness; and the school curriculum is narrowing, in part because of the pressures of state tests (according to teachers).

Developing Students' Academic Vocabulary Helps Beat Achievement Gap

Ben JohnsonDecember 9, 2011

Tags Achievement Gap, Literacy, Teacher Development, Urban Schools, All Grades, Math, Science, Texas

At a small school district, I faced the challenge as an administrator of diminishing the achievement gap in the student scores, especially in math and science. For example, we noticed that in science there was a 40-point gap between Hispanic students passing the test versus the number of white students passing. Having been in the classrooms and having observed teachers teaching, I knew that they were not treating Hispanic students any differently than the white students. So why was there an achievement gap?

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