High-achieving kids from low-income families too often fall into the achievement trap; as they progress up the grades, their academic performance falls, and they are far less likely to remain star students than are middle-class or wealthy high-achievers. So says the first U.S.-wide analysis of high-achieving students from poor families (published…

The assumption behind movements to get alternatively certified teachers quickly into classrooms as full-time teachers is that high-performing college graduates with content knowledge can become good teachers through a summer of training and full-time, evening, teacher training courses. But when the authors asked new, precertified teachers who were…

Summer school makes an unlikely candidate for a bright spot in education reform during these difficult economic times. It occupies a long-held negative place in U.S. culture, prompting dread in the hearts of many former and current students. Summer school conjures up images of sitting in hot classrooms and receiving remedial instruction while…

From the nefarious achievement gaps, to the racial isolation in increasingly segregated schools; from the digital divide that results in kids not having access to computers, to the poverty gulf that results in kids not having homes; from boys' reading difficulties and girls' problems with math, to the disparities among rural, suburban, and urban…

Research shows that summer slide--the loss of learning over the summer break--is a huge contributor to the achievement gap between low-income students and their higher-income peers. In fact, some researchers have concluded that two-thirds of the 9th-grade reading achievement gap can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities…

Recently, the Dayton-Montgomery (Ohio) Public Education Fund Mathematics Collaborative sponsored 18 educators in a summer industry internship program. Many teachers gained invaluable insights on learning to work with people and applying knowledge to work situations. Participants learned the value of incorporating teamwork, technology, problem…

By leaving school and home routines behind, a group of Maine elementary teachers have found grant-funded summer retreats an excellent source of renewal. Teachers have a chance to pursue chosen professional activities, participate in data- driven conversations, and spend time together with no competing concerns. (MLH)

Describes selected examples of successful programs for gifted/talented students now underway throughout the United States. (JG)

When Urseline Academy girls need career advice, academic guidance, or personal support, they e-mail their mentors--professional women in the Dallas area whose "real-world" knowledge helps the students make informed choices. The program is an outgrowth of a summer internship program stressing student-centered learning. (MLH)

Designing projects around Gardner's multiple intelligences, a Connecticut school created a one-week summer camp where children can tap into their unique strengths. The Summer Stars program allows children ages 7-12 to choose materials and activities from many topics and to participate in one of three internships involving a discovery museum, a…

Three central Minnesota school districts, the Chamber of Commerce, business representatives, and public service organizations decided to help teachers translate workplace expectations into school lessons. The result was the "Relevance Counts Institute," which shows teachers specific occupational skills one day and employee applications…

Mount Holyoke College's discussion-based Lenses on Learning seminars consist of 3 10-hour sessions that invite administrators to consider new ideas about mathematics, learning, and teaching and applications for their practice-supervising teachers, supporting their professional development, suggesting assessment approaches, addressing…

Describes how Title I programs in No Child Left Behind Act can apply certain research-based strategies to improve the achievement of poor and minority students, including preschool and full-day kindergarten programs, extending learning into the summer, and accelerating school-year learning through the reduction of class size or the implementation…

During summers and on Saturdays, 200 motivated academically and culturally disadvantaged Negro 15- and 16-year-olds participated in Project Enrichment, undertaken at Jackson State College in Mississippi from 1961 to 1964. The students were encouraged to achieve and to participate in intellectual and social activities to change the ill effects of…

This teacher-run center provides opportunity for teachers to share ideas and improve skills as well as serving as an information center including an extensive education library, summer workshops, an arts and crafts area, innovative displays of classroom materials, and advisory services to teachers and the community. (JD)