This issue begins a five-part series that uses demographic projections as the starting point for examining some of the forces that will shape public education in the years ahead. It provides an overview of broad demographic trends, including the growing number of school-age youngsters, the increasing diversity of the student population, and the…

This third in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist explains how U.S. Department of Defense schools for children of military families offer lessons on how to raise academic achievement among minority students. Minority students in these schools do better than their counterparts almost anywhere in the United States on…

This collection of essays discusses excellence and achievement in urban schools. "Needed: Excellent Teachers for Urban Schools" (Diane Ravitch) suggests that the best thing to do to help urban students is to ensure that they have excellent teachers. "Beyond the Courage to Change Urban School Systems" (Rudolph F. Crew) discusses…

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 publication presents information on the outcomes of high school. It begins with an overview, "Youth at the Crossroads: Facing High School and Beyond," which suggests there are fundamental educational gaps among African American and Latino high school students and White students. The main article, "Are Today's Graduates Ready?" (Kati Haycock…

This year's Quality Counts, Education Week's comprehensive overview on the quality of American education, focuses on the relationship between teacher quality and the growing academic achievement gap. It includes profiles of hard-to-staff schools, state alternative certification programs, and surveys of the 50 states on recruiting, supporting, and…

Two newsletters from the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) include the following major articles: (1) "Everything You Need To Know about the NRC/GT: Web Site, Videos, and Texts" (E. Jean Gubbins); (2) "A. Harry Passow: Scholar and Friend" (E. Jean Gubbins and Joseph S. Renzulli); (3) "Learning How…

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 first in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps persist discusses how to raise minority achievement. It explains how earlier progress in closing the gap has stalled, while at the same time, the greater diversity of student populations and the rapid growth of the Hispanic population and of other ethnic groups have reshaped the…

This publication presents an introduction,"New Frontiers for a New Century: A National Overview" (Kati Haycock), which announces a new, online, interactive database of national educational records and discusses the importance of making necessary changes in education. This requires that educators, policymakers, and advocates receive solid…

Each year, African American high school students in grades 11 and 12 take the College Board/Educational Testing Service Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations. Large numbers of these students are not successful. Nationally, African Americans take a total of 13,844 examinations and 5,447 qualify for advanced placement. This means that 61 percent of…

After a period of striving for equal educational opportunity and progress toward that goal, American society is now shifting toward more emphasis on educational quality. However, some fear that the rise of Minimum Competency Testing (MCT) may hinder rather than help minority students' opportunities for equal education. Despite gains in the number…

This fourth in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist describes the Minority Achievement Committee scholars program at Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland, Ohio, a powerful antidote to the achievement gap between minority and white and Asian American students. It explains the need to break down stereotypes about academic…

A study was done to compare the success of undergraduate engineering schools in graduating minorities from their programs. The study developed the following three parameters that can be used to define the performance of engineering schools in graduating minorities: (1) graduation rates of minorities; (2) graduation rates of minorities relative to…

This report evaluates a project designed to reduce the number of student suspensions and disciplinary referrals in the Oklahoma City Public Schools. The report describes these four program components: 1) the Elementary Early Intervention Program to provide preventative services for students with absentee and school behavior problems; 2) the School…