"Residential segregation's causes are both knowable and known," writes Richard Rothstein. According to Rothstein, those causes are "20th century federal, state, and local policies explicitly designed to separate the races." Even seasoned policymakers are convinced that the residential isolation of low-income black children is…

Teachers rarely live in the same neighborhoods as their students and the natural connections that once came from living nearby have eroded. This change makes it hard for educators to get to know students' families beyond formal connections like Back to School Night. The gap between teachers' and students' worlds is especially worrisome when there…

Six high-performing/high-poverty schools provide insights into what it takes to make a dramatic turnaround. School leaders had to make tough calls--and many of those decisions were about how to use resources. The budget in a high-performing, high-poverty school is a moral document, reflective of the school's beliefs about the conditions necessary…

Asserts that principals can increase student learning if they work intentionally and with heart with their faculties. Describes experiences of two Washington State elementary principals. (PKP)

Certain cultural norms (high professional standards, collegiality, and questioning/experimenting attitudes) are common to self-renewing schools. To avoid the pitfalls of contrived collegiality, schools should adopt core or shared values, a common view of professional behavior, and a focus on the client. Two exemplary elementary schools in the…

Reflecting new visions of learning, educators and architects are creating "three-dimensional textbooks" that use the learning environment as a teaching tool. In a planning process called architectural programing, the community and those who will occupy the building are consulted concerning developmental needs, aesthetic preferences, and…