It is fitting that there is a lot of attention on the educational disparities that exist in this country, as a solid education is increasingly critical for all to have in our modern, technological society. It is clear that many cities struggle with improving the academic performance of its students, which tend to be disproportionately students from low-income and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. What is less clear, however, is what to do about it. Jay Mathews, of the Washington Post, summarized a report from the Broad Foundation that identified a number of themes that consistently emerged in low-income school districts that were doing well. Now, the report only worked with six school districts, but several themes that emerged are instructive nonetheless:

1. Increase the number of students with access to advanced classes. This seems self-evident, but it begins with challenging the notion that poor, disadvantaged children are barely struggling to make it. Once that assumption is tossed, then administrators can begin implementing advanced/gifted classes in greater numbers, which then gives greater numbers of students access to these courses. What is implied, but not expressly noted in the report, is that there might be a trickle-down effect to the non-gifted classrooms and teachers, whereby some of the challenging teaching approaches get used more widely.

2. Provide support for advanced classes and students. This may take the form of specialized tutoring programs targeted at AP exams, but it may also include long-term support for youth and families who are not familiar with college and university systems.

3. Be patient, particularly if gains are modest or slow in developing. This is a critical point, and one that may be most hard to follow, given our society’s fascination with immediate results in arenas where results may take a generation or two.