The road to success in the new world economy requires more creative thinkers, innovators, and entrepreneurs than ever before. Why is the United States going in the wrong direction? Thanks to globalization and technological advancement, traditional middle-class jobs, such as manufacturing, have been disappearing quickly, offshored to other…

"Poverty" is an uncomfortable word. Teachers are often unsure what to expect from kids from low-income households and what to do differently as a result. Well-known author and educator Eric Jensen points to seven differences that show up in school between low- and middle-income children. By understanding what they are and how to address…

Two innovative programs in Belgium promote both educational equity and quality as they reach out to ethnically diverse families. The Bridge Person project in Ghent addresses Belgium's immigrant achievement gap by creating meaningful relationships between schools and socially disadvantaged families. The School in Sight project in Antwerp seeks to…

As blogs light up with lively conversations about iPads, netbooks, and smart phones, it's easy to forget one major roadblock to preparing all children for the future: the digital divide. Although middle-class students often take high-speed Internet access for granted, a full 65 percent of Americans who make less than $25,000 a year lack broadband…

The goal of closing achievement gaps between students of different socioeconomic status and race has eluded public schools for decades. Facing increased pressure from NCLB to reach this goal, some school districts have turned to a new experiment based on an old-fashioned vision: integrating students by socioeconomic income. Kahlenberg reviews the…

Examines current demographic projections in terms of five major concepts (fertility, age, region, race, and immigration) and analyzes their impact on tomorrow's schools. Beset with a declining birthrate, an aging population, and increasing numbers of poor and minority students, schools' major responsibility is to create winners and new recruits to…

As the United States grows more ethnically diverse, traditional school-integration tools are becoming less potent. Restoration of Horace Mann's common school represents the single best way to promote equal educational opportunity. Controlled public-school choice (via specialty schools) is the best way to achieve socioeconomic integration.…

In a Fort Collins, Colorado, school district, parents whose children attend alternative schools choose schools for all the right reasons. Unfortunately, only a limited segment of parents exercises a choice. Teachers say alternative schools skim off the most motivated parents and students, leaving the problem children behind. These survey results…

Students attending a Minnesota school in a middle-class neighborhood are finding that cooperation, conflict resolution, and civic values are creating a safe haven from the stresses of family and neighborhood life. Students have two innovative programs (Continuous Progress and Discovery) to choose from. Highlands Elementary nurtures its students…

Orem (Utah) High School is a suburban, predominantly white high school that consciously strives to create a welcoming atmosphere, where students are treated with respect, programs are varied and innovative, and fun and participative decision making are highly valued. The school's participation in the National Network for Educational Renewal has…

Public schools have mirrored postmodern social transformations that have challenged our provincial notions of common values and defined roles. Postmodern innovations-inclusion, multiculturalism, full-day kindergarten, character education, and distance education--are the offspring of our new cosmopolitan society. Most have greater social than…

Schools' course structures and policies allow some families to garner the best educational resources. To treat all students fairly, schools must recognize privileged parents' racial/class motivations, infuse academic talk into informal networks, acknowledge "invisible" parents' aspirations, demolish communication barriers, and encourage…