This chapter is adapted from the address that inaugurated the American Educational Research Association annual lecture series commemorating the anniversary of the 1954 Supreme Court decision in the case "Brown v. Board of Education." The authors begin this chapter by paying tribute to Kenneth Bancroft Clark, who led the distinguished group of…

The research literature on urban education has tended to focus on the problems of low-status minority groups, the complexity of urban school systems, and the financing and governance of such systems. Given this focus, the deeper problems and the significant opportunities associated with the condition of urbanicity have not yet been properly…

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation decision. Yet despite half a century of efforts to improve educational opportunities for African American students and other minorities, a large achievement gap persists. By 12th grade, the average African American and…

This article describes affirmative development, a concept designed to complement colloquial notions of affirmative action, which emphasizes the creation and enhancement of competence in addition to the more traditional emphasis on the equitable reward of competence. In 1903 and 1958, W.E.B. DuBois examined whether 20th century problems related to…

This collection of essays reflects a lifetime commitment to education and democracy, bringing together views on race, justice, and equity for all students. The essays are: (1) "Educating the Poor in the United States"; (2) "Human Social Divisions and Human Intelligence: Putting Them in Their Place"; (3) "Cultural…

Asserts that we must look beyond color to other causes of social division, particularly income disparities, in order to rectify present inequities in education and society. Suggests a program of affirmative development in addition to affirmative action. (EV)

This document examines the importance of access to educational resources that are supplementary to what is available in school for all students. Supplementary education is the formal and informal learning and developmental enrichment opportunities provided for students outside of school and beyond the regular school day or year. While…

This paper describes U.S. Department of Defense Schools, an education system with significant outcomes that may be pertinent to raising academic achievement among minority students. A research group examined the high achievement of African American and Hispanic students in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. Results find that…

In 2001, the National Education Goals Panel commissioned researchers from Vanderbilt University to study the consistent high achievement of African American and Latino students in Department of Defense schools. This digest summarizes the results of their study and presents supporting research that identifies policies and practices that may…

This report focuses on students who are underrepresented in the high academic achievement pool by calling attention to the important role that relational data management systems can play in educational decision making, particularly with regard to how they can be applied to closing the academic achievement gap. After explaining the need for data…

This issue of ETS Policy Notes focuses on highlights from the ETS African American Education Seminar. The day-long event, which drew more than 100 education and public affairs professionals, assessed the challenges facing African Americans in all levels of education, including access to high-quality prekindergarten, elementary, secondary, and…

This evaluation describes two supplementary education interventions: the All Stars Talent Show Network (ASTSN) and the Joseph A. Forgione Development School for Youth (DSY). The ASTSN is a 19-year-old program that provides youth age 5-25 with opportunities to produce and participate in talent shows, thus creating stages where youth can…

In this special section, various authors (in separate articles) discuss the new face of school segregation; socioeconomic integration--a plan to mix poor and middle-class students; and ways to bridge the minority achievement gap, teach linguistically diverse students, and identify and nurture the gifted poor. (MLH)

A mission of public schools is to produce students who are intellectually competent and prepared for postsecondary education and the increasingly competitive workforce. An urgent concern among education takeholders today is the underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans among high-achieving students. Despite…