A Nation at Risk (NAR; National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) had a tremendous impact on what schools do and has since spawned other reforms that attest to the report's ongoing influence. Coming in the wake of a decade of economic stagnation and import pressures from overseas producers, the authors of NAR blamed these problems on…

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), recent global immigration to the U.S. interior compels local education systems that are relatively inexperienced with immigration to address new integrating and segmenting tendencies expressed by the growing and diversifying number of immigrants from Africa, Asia, and…

This article provides a critical look into national trends of the achievement gaps between Whites and Blacks and between Whites and Hispanics over the last 3 decades based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessments. It examines multiple facets of inequity underlying the racial and ethnic achievement gaps from 3…

In "Grutter v. Bollinger", __ U.S. ___ ; 123 S. Ct. 2325; 156 L. Ed. 2d 304 (2003), the Supreme Court rendered a landmark decision approving the use of race as one factor in admissions decisions at the University of Michigan Law School. The opinion of the Court discussed an expert opinion of Kent D. Syverud, Dean of the Vanderbilt Law School,…

This article explores the concept of vertical equity in light of school reform efforts aimed at increasing academic outcomes for all students. Vertical equity, or the idea that students who bring certain educational needs to the classroom require additional resources to address those needs within the educational process, is useful as a way to…

Adequacy is a derived concept whose origins in the school finance literature probably stem from San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (1973), a landmark federal case. Although there is often a recycling of definitions, 3 decades later, there is still little consensus on how to operationalize that concept. The purpose of this article…

In this article, I draw several lessons learned about how to assess student, classroom, and teacher effects, with a specific focus on performance-based teacher evaluations. One lesson is that hierarchical linear modeling techniques are helpful in sorting out the magnitude of impacts at these three different levels of the education system. The…

Explores requirements for mentoring graduate students of color, debunking five myths about such mentoring, examining mentoring models, and recommending three modalities for individuals who wish to mentor minority graduate students ("academic midwifery,""role modeling," and "frientoring"). Each of the three modalities requires care and support,…

Discusses when a school-university partnership is mature or collegial enough to be called a Professional Development School (PDS) partnership, challenging those who call what they have always done a PDS. The article defines a PDS, reviews the literature on PDSs, and clarifies the many models that exist across the country. (SM)

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education developed draft standards for Professional Development Schools (PDSs). This article discusses the PDS concept and origins, examines why PDSs are important, and argues for standards as a means of supporting the PDS work and holding PDSs accountable for multiple results. The draft standards…

Examines the relationships between teachers and parents with respect to teaching, suggesting that classic and contemporary organizational theory can help predict key tensions and issues likely to emerge. Discusses bridging strategies used by schools to manage parent relations, and examines schools' use of buffering strategies to shield teachers…

Describes the cultural origins of East Asian educational values and practices, contrasting characteristics of East Asian and Western education; arguing that differences in cultural values carry over into educational values, policies, and practices; and cautioning that with the current global diffusion of educational policies, it is important to…

Discusses how society, the government, librarianship, commerce, the media, and education have directly influenced the evolution of children's literature in the United States, beginning with the 17th century and moving through the 20th century. Predicts what part these and other, newer, institutions will play in the future of children's literature.…

Addresses past, present, and future issues and trends in beginning reading instruction, tracing the development of a related issue in the context of early-childhood education: developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Addresses historical changes in reading education and in DAP guidelines, suggesting that reading education and early-childhood…

Discusses several of the unique features of digital text, identifying five key concepts about digital literacy as they relate to technological trends in the workplace and describing a select set of innovative instructional uses of technology that have the potential to transform digital-literacy education. (SM)