U.S. News & World Report has a fantastic special issue on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. One of the articles therein, "Unequal Education," is as fine a lay-of-the-land piece on education we've seen in many a year. It highlights the importance of setting standards, testing regularly, and upgrading expectations at every level of K-12 education, and even ventures into the more controversial area of cultural expectations and their effects on student achievement. The story also profiles a number of successful schools that serve minorities and the tough-love approach they've taken with students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. The issue is well worth the newsstand price.
"Unequal education," U.S. News & World Report, March 22, 2004