Differences in academic achievement among ethnic and socioeconomic groups, called achievement gaps, have been an issue in education for many years. Achievement gaps exist between upper- and lower-class students and between students of differing races and ethnic backgrounds. As a group, Black and Hispanic students perform less well on many standardized tests of academic achievement than do White and Asian American students. Following the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, many states and districts have made increased efforts to close the achievement gap. Appended are: (1) AEL's Framework for Maximizing the Achievement of African American Children in Kanawha; (2) Monthly Curriculum for MAACK Pilot Team Meetings; (3) Professional Development Materials for Principles of Culturally Responsive Instruction; (4) Lesson Plan Template; (5) Special Strategies Observation System (SSOS) Form; (6) Letter of Instruction for AEL CSIQ and AEL MSCI Administration; (7) Instructions for Administering the AEL MASC; (8) 2001 Focus Group Report; and (9) SEDCAR Checklist. (Contains 42 tables and 15 figures.)