The athletic/academic paradox for black males is historically rooted in rank-and-file notions of black people primarily as workers rather than thinkers. Policymakers, educators, and administrators should think more deeply about how societal perceptions of black males as "natural" athletes, rather than intelligent students adversely influences how…

Defends positive results of small classes in Tennessee's Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) Project reported in his March 2002 "Kappan" article. (PKP)

Criticizes Jeremy Finn's March 2002 "Kappan" article, "Small Classes in American Schools: Research, Practice, and Politics," reporting positive results for small classes in Tennessee's Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) Project. (PKP)

The education reform movement has fostered renewed interest in class size. Tennessee and Indiana experiments with smaller class size in primary grades have yielded improved student behavior and achievement scores. Tennessee's new Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio Project (STAR) is a longitudinal study furthering research on small class benefits.…

Provides a brief overview of the current status of class-size reduction programs; summarizes research that has moved districts and states to seek class-size reduction; calls attention to the misapplication of the research in some contexts; discusses questions about smaller classes that remain unanswered; describes current research into the…

Michigan allows four different entities to authorize charter schools: state public universities, community colleges, intermediate school districts, and local school districts. To ensure establishment of high-quality standards, Central Michigan University developed a rigorous two-phase chartering process. Charters avoid "best" approaches…

Three former secretaries of education--William Bennett, Lauro Cavazos, and Terrel Bell--have touted state-level SAT scores as proof that educational financing does not matter. Recently, Brian Powell and Lala Carr Steelman adjusted scores for participation rate and detected a very strong relationship between expenditures and SAT scores. Bigger…

By redeploying staff members and students so that teachers can concentrate on teaching students rather than "covering" classes, American high schools can reduce class size and foster a more productive learning environment. The "Copernican" reorganization plan features macroscheduling, individualized instruction, accommodation…

Practical schooling realities defy grand designs for change, including imposing tougher standards. Standards will not work because U.S. schools are complex systems; educators do not understand, accept, or "enforce" state standards; teachers have too many kids and not enough time; student problems predominate; and publicly embarrassing educators is…