By Danielle Moss Lee

In an age where classroom teachers find themselves defending their profession and their results, the discussion of race in the classroom seems like one more opportunity for the finger-pointers who seek deeper understanding about the declining academic performance of all American students. The truth is that, after decades of progress in closing the outcome gaps between white students and students of color, the disparities are just as profound today as they were in the 1950's when the landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education was decided. In some school communities, like New York City, many poor and minority students are attending under-resourced schools that are not only separate and isolated, but that are also just as unequal as they were in the mid-20th century ... (click to read more)