May/June 2001

Abstracts

Recent data from the National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP) show that the differences in scores for black and white students in almost every NAEP subject area and age group are greater than they were in the late 1980s. Frustrated by the persistence of the achievement gap in their districts, many administrators and teachers are studying school records, disaggregating test score and grade data, interviewing students and teachers-essentially becoming researchers-to identify exactly where problems exist and to design solutions. Assistant Editor Michael Sadowski explores how practitioners are conducting their research and the benefits and challenges these educators face as they work to narrow the black/white achievement gap in schools.

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Teachers Helping Teachers
By Karen Kelly

Lead-teacher programs gained popularity in the 1980s as a means to attract and retain top-notch talent by providing mentoring, administrative, and career-advancement opportunities. However, turf wars between administrators and teachers and a wave of budget cuts torpedoed most such programs. Rochester, New York's lead-teacher program is one of those still thriving. Education reporter Karen Kelly examines why teacher leadership remains a hard concept to sell, despite evidence that it can have a positive impact not only for teachers but on student achievement, too.

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James Garbarino on Talking to Parents About Violence

The Cornell University researcher, author of Lost Boys and of the forthcoming Parents Under Siege, provides tips for speaking with parents about school violence. With practical, research-based advice, Garbarino demonstrates how parents and schools can work together to solve one of K-12 education’s most troubling questions.

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