Educators can have a powerful influence on the future of low-income and minority students whose paths might appear uncertain. By developing trusting relationships, acting as mentors, and sharing information about the education system, teachers, counselors, and other adults can create pivotal moments that transform students' lives. Espinoza shares…

Broadening computer science learning to include more students is a crucial item on the United States' education agenda, these authors say. Although policymakers advocate more computer science expertise, computer science offerings in high schools are few--and actually shrinking. In addition, poorly resourced schools with a high percentage of…

Analyzing long-term demographic data from the Schools and Staffing Survey, Ingersoll and Merrill found a number of intriguing trends in the teaching force that they say "appear to have been little noticed by researchers, policymakers, and the public." The number of teachers, they write, is growing at a rate that far outpaces increases in student…

Over the past few years, South Side High School, in Rockville Centre, New York, has attempted to increase enrollment in its International Baccalaureate program while maintaining the program's high academic standards. A multiyear detracking effort helped more students prepare for the rigors of IB. Counseling sessions, safety nets, and ensuring that…

Providing high-quality education for all students is far more complex than placing students of diverse backgrounds in the same classroom. Hawaii's Kamachamcha Early Education Project (KEEP) takes a group-oriented, culturally responsive approach to improving students' academic achievement while preserving characteristics of more traditional…

Two years ago, Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, committed to making each student's sojourn a personalized learning experience, even in a school of 1,500. The teachers at Shorecrest took a closer look at their student population and found out several unmet needs of the significant minority group of students. Among those findings…

Latinos now constitute the largest minority group in the United States and the fastest growing segment of its school-age population. Yet they are the least educated of all major ethnic groups. Poverty, lack of access to high-quality preschool, low levels of parental education attainment, and hypersegregated schools all play a crucial role. The…

By offering teachers and parents a vision of an alternative structure, an effective summer program can stimulate change during the school year. The Southern Coalition for Educational Equity created such a program in New Orleans, Louisiana, for underachieving minority students. Focus was on effective instruction, increased student participation,…

To develop an understanding of the pluralistic nature of the American society and the varying family forms within it, all students need to be exposed to illustrations of the gamut of racial and family components. (Authors)

Despite legal protections since the 1960's, racism remains a serious problem for society and for schools. Physical attacks on minorities, racial clashes in schools, redlining, and stereotypes with racial overtones (like "welfare queen") are fairly commonplace. Schools need to teach appreciation of cultural differences and acknowledge minority…

Based on a 1988 study of adolescents and parents from six ethnic populations, this article recommends that educators and other service providers offer sexuality education in bilingual students' own language, focus on negotiation of relationships, provide inexpensive condoms, establish peer education networks and adult workshops, and collaborate…

The use of technologically oriented instructional materials for minority group students should be geared to their needs and perspectives. (CK)