This research identifies a problem of practice with standardized science test scores declining over the last eight years. The Sea Turtle Elementary School for the Creative Arts (STESCA; pseudonym) schedule allowed 150 minutes per week for science instruction, compared with 450 minutes per week for mathematics instruction. Science instruction has…

This article argues that economic exclusion, standardized testing, and racially biased definitions of teacher quality continue the exclusion of teachers of color from the urban teaching force. The authors highlight two urban programs designed to address such barriers and situate such efforts within a critical race theory framework that identifies…

Houston Real Men Read is chaired by Texas Senator Rodney Ellis and spearheaded by the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board Trustee Paula M. Harris. Houston Real Men Read is a mentoring program in which men from the Houston community committed one hour, once a month, to read to second, fifth, and seventh-grade students. The program…

As expectations for improvements in public K-12 education continue, principals and teachers need to collaborate for continuous school improvement. Innovative change is needed to meet the needs of students. Michael Fullan's change theory (1993) identified many inhibitors to change, such as the human tendency to avoid change due to vulnerability and…

Native American students are the most likely racial/ethnic group tracked in post-secondary American education to be affected by poverty and limited access to educational opportunities. In addition, they are the most likely to be required to take remedial course work and are the least likely to graduate from college. A review of the literature was…

Girls' and women's dispositions, performance, and participation in mathematics have received significant attention in recent decades. Nevertheless, females still perform below males on the mathematics portion of standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) (Institute of Education Sciences), and they attain fewer mathematics…

A degree beyond high school has become an essential element of opportunity in America and is a proven pathway out of poverty. However, the majority of our nation's young people, especially low-income Americans, are finding it difficult to complete this pathway to success. Every day, there are faith communities throughout the country that are…

Based on NAEP data, many adolescents may not be adequately prepared for postsecondary education. This is a Year Five report from a seven-year longitudinal study of a student cohort starting in sixth grade year (n = 50). It uses a quasi-experimental design, and collects data from surveys, interviews, and reflective statements to evaluate mentoring…

This document summarizes evaluation reports from afterschool science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs across the United States and identifies common trends and strengths that afterschool learning brings to STEM education. Like many programs nationwide, several of the programs highlighted in this paper were designed specifically to…

The practice that has come to be known as "tracking" began as a response to the influx of immigrant children into America's schools during the early 20th century. To educate this newly diverse student population, school officials thought it necessary to sort children into different "tracks" based on their ability or past performance. With the new…

This paper addresses the critical problem of the increasing shortage of qualified African American teachers for the nation's schools. As there are increasing vacancies and opportunities for upward mobility in practically all teaching disciplines in every state, it is important to encourage African-American youth to consider teaching as a…

Recommendations for the aggressive recruitment of minority teachers are based on hypothesized role model effects for minority students as well as evidence of racial bias among non-minority teachers. However, prior empirical studies have found little or no association between exposure to an "own-race" teacher and level of student…

The high school diploma is attacked as providing inadequate evidence of student development, socialization, and achievement. Discussed are major potential consequences of the movement towards "competency-based education" affecting college admissions, curricula, graduation requirements, and student learning. (AF)

This paper addresses the problem of the decline in the available pool of black students in colleges and universities who are choosing teaching as a career. At a time when black students are most in need of good role models and the greatest academic support, black teachers are becoming scarce in the public schools. Three possible reasons for this…