John Muir Elementary School in San Francisco is like countless other schools in cities across the United States. The student body comprises mostly lower income, African American and Latino students who--despite being just as intelligent as their white and Asian counterparts--traditionally underachieve on many academic measures. Talented,…

Heritage Oak Elementary School (Placer County, CA) has continuously achieved a high level of academic success as measured by the California Standards Test. However, after examining student testing data in depth, staff discovered a large achievement gap between the overall school population, socio-economically disadvantaged students, and students…

Each year, when standardized test scores are published for California students, the same message tends to surface: In general, the scores of blacks and Latinos trail those of other groups, especially whites. This pattern emerges so often that it usually doesn't surprise educators or researchers. In the author's search to better understand the…

Describes information-dissemination program by the Education Testing Service called "Log On, Let's Talk," aimed at informing parents, administrators, teachers, and policymakers about the role of testing in public schools. Describes pilot efforts in Sacramento and Harrisburg, California. (PKP)