In a series of reforms started in 1998 and formalized with the 2000 introduction of the Blueprint for Student Success, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) implemented a wide-ranging series of reforms designed to boost the literacy skills of students. This article provides an overview of the reforms, assesses the contributions made by the…

Discusses the potential of the Direct Instruction (DI) model to improve reading comprehension among children in high poverty schools, noting conditions under which the DI model will produce maximum gains in reading comprehension. The paper summarizes articles from this theme issue, which provide evidence that the DI model does improve student…

Critiques research on the effectiveness of Direct Instruction (DI) over the past 3 decades, examining decreasing scores, variations in DI, instructional implementation, three approaches to improving instruction, the problem of outside demands, the problem of teacher turnover, phonics and comprehension, settings for instruction, and additional…

Examines experiences and evaluations of the New American Schools design teams and other whole-school reform efforts, focusing on challenges in the scale-up effort and suggesting that there are some designs that are effective in making improvements in some aspects of schooling in some places at some times. Discusses how to fulfill the promises of…

Explores the educational obstacles faced by Native Americans specific to their sociohistorical contexts. Seven specific obstacles and how they can be overcome through changes to structure, content, and processes are illustrated from work with Zuni students in New Mexico. (SLD)

Many areas in education need better balance. These include balancing phonics and whole language approaches in teaching reading, balancing approaches in teaching spelling, and balancing curriculum content so that art, music, and drama are included. (SLD)

Funds from Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its successive amendments provide school districts with the means to help children who are often served last, those in high poverty schools. Homeless, migrant, neglected, and delinquent children are among those to whom Title I can give a voice. (SLD)

As educators work to pull together the various components of the Improving America's Schools Act, they must not lose sight of its central purpose, increasing children's learning. Guidance and assistance for low-achieving students must accompany a mind-set of higher expectations for achievement. (SLD)

Addresses the issue of Title I student assessment for at-risk students and the possible funding ramifications if Title I schools reduce the frequency and coverage of their assessments. It argues that continued Congressional funding of Title I programs will be difficult if sufficient assessments cannot reveal positive impact. (GR)

Learning environments and assessments must be designed to include homeless children in their reform efforts. Although homelessness is not a problem educators can solve, they must be sure that they do not contribute to its problems through neglect of disadvantaged children. (SLD)

Argues that policy development framework for school reform under the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 must occur in state and local settings and possess advocates for at-risk students who can enter the community dialog concerning education. Policies should focus on the classroom with administrators and teachers continually striving for…

What advocates have done in support of the policies fostered under Title I through its 30-year history must be reconsidered in order to influence policymakers. As advocates, educators must collaborate with their partners in the health and social service communities in pursuit of coherence and congruence of programs. (SLD)