Summarizes outcome of appeals to federal circuit courts of appeal and to the U.S. Supreme Court by losing parties. With few exceptions, appeals result in no significant changes in holdings. (Contains 27 references.) (PKP)

Summarizes 2 state initiatives to address the achievement gap: North Carolina's report by the Advisory Commission on Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps, containing an 11-point strategy, and Kentucky's legislation putting in place 10 specific processes. The North Carolina report is available at www.dpi.state.nc.us.closingthegap; Kentucky's…

Revisits a few school-law cases analyzed in the journal's "Courtside" column that were either reversed or substantially modified on appeal. Cases deal with student expression, special education, home schooling, curriculum-related issues, employee rights, and higher education. Discusses lessons learned from update of these cases. (Contains 32…

Teacher's reaction to district's efforts to close the achievement gap. (PKP)

Argues for substantially reducing the power of corporations to influence the organization, content, and assessment of public education. (Contains 19 references.) (PKP)

Explains why teachers should study student work; examines three mutually exclusive traditions for "looking at" student work; discusses protocols for studying student work involving suspending judgment, tuning judgment, and extending judgment schoolwide that draw on all three traditions. (Contains 26 references.) (PKP)

Describes "lesson study," a Japanese professional development process for teachers that focuses on a systematic examination of their teaching practices. Includes a brief overview of the lesson-study process, advice for setting up lesson study, and strategies for working on study lessons. (PKP)

Twelfth Bracey report on the condition of public education includes commentary on testing, Edison Schools, No Child Left Behind Act, educational vouchers, tuition tax credits, and impoverished schools. Includes recipients of several Bracey awards such as "The Get Thee to a Nunnery, Rick Mills Award." (Contains 66 references.) (PKP)

Criticism of Stephen Karshen's June 2002 "Kappan" article "Whole Language and the Great Plummet of 1987-92: An Urban Legend from California." Argues that Karshen's analysis of the California Achievement Program reading scores is wrong. (PKP)

Responds to Richard Innes's criticism of his June 2002 "Kappan" article. (PKP)

Uses question-and-answer format to report results of Public Agenda survey of 510 parents of special-needs students about their experiences with special education. Survey obtained parents' perspectives on topics such as the quality of special-education teachers and programs, the evaluation process, mainstreaming, and standards. Finds that a…

Superintendent of Trenton (New Jersey) Public Schools discusses process and challenges of implementing whole-school reform models in his district and the educational benefits derived there from. Argues that results thus far support New Jersey's approach to whole-school reform in urban districts. (PKP)

Describes findings of Rand analyses of New American Schools (NAS) approach to whole-school reform. Includes description of the Rand Corporation's role; a brief history of New American Schools; the conceptual framework of the Rand studies; and a summary of the findings grouped into three broad areas: the evolution of designs, implementation of the…

Briefly describes six principles from Education Commission of the States' Leadership for Literacy initiative designed to help make the teaching of reading more effective and efficient. Includes discussion of scientific evidence, standards, assessment systems, data management, professional knowledge, and alignment. (PKP)

Discusses research on the "summer loss" of academic progress, especially among students from poor families. Asserts that phenomenon is virtually ignored by policymakers. (PKP)