Minority students from low-income families face challenges in their daily lives that continually interfere with their academic performance as well as their ability to prepare for college. Although the educational system is viewed as "the great equalizer" that gives everyone an opportunity for upward social mobility, sociological and educational…

Chilean educator and poet Gabriela Mistral warned that children's needs are immediate and comprise more than just academic concerns. Implementing comprehensive community schools is an increasingly successful approach to taking her warning to heart, particularly in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations. The reason is simple: education does…

Marzano (2003) identified 11 factors that positively influence student achievement. Those factors can be divided into three categories: school-level practices, teacher-level practices, and student-level characteristics. Interestingly, Marzano (2000) found that school- and teacher-level influences account for only 20% of the variance in student…

This article talks about Mission High School located in San Francisco, where majority of its students come from two of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. The entrance of the historic Mission High School is reminiscent of the grand entryways in elite colleges and universities. The irony of Mission's architecturally pleasing edifice is that for…

This article discusses student-led conferences. Student-led conferences can be organized in many ways; most involve students following an outline or a script to share work with their parents. Although this is a seemingly simple process to follow, student-led conferences require considerable planning and organization. The benefits, however, are…

Deep in a heavily Latino section of urban East Los Angeles, at the intersection of Knights Lane and Kings Row, approximately 2,300 high school students go about the business of school with a sense of purpose and resolve. The majesty of the San Gabriel Mountains can be seen to the north of this vast 40-acre campus, the stark poverty of a housing…

In this article, the author discovers the cultural challenges and rewards of starting a center for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). When she became the principal of a middle school outside of Baltimore, MD, she learned that her first year would also be the school's first year as a middle school English for speakers of other…

Success in today's K-12 environment often hinges on improved test scores. But success should be defined more broadly to recognize the overall learning environment that is created by students, teachers, staff members, administrators, and parents. As a middle level principal, the author has learned that to create long-lasting change and to foster a…

To teach students how to become contributing members of society, Park View High School in Sterling, Virginia, focuses on collaboration, diversity, and volunteerism. Since developing leaders is part of being a community of collaboration, a curricular component supports its efforts to model the kind of leadership it wants its students to develop. To…

Proof of academic performance often serves as the litmus test for maintaining instructional practices and programs. Just as the national focus on academic improvement has gained momentum, so too has another movement calling for character education. Educators find themselves caught in the middle, questioning whether character education is just…