Cover Art ©2003

DEPARTMENTS

482 THE EDITOR'S PAGE, Once a Teacher . . .

483 WASHINGTON COMMENTARY, Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Tests We Go, by Anne C. Lewis

485 STATELINE, Making Use of Summer Time, by Kathy Christie

550 TECHNOLOGY, Scholarly Tools: Grammarian, EndNote, and Others, by Royal Van Horn

552 IN CANADA, Decolonizing Schools, by Heather-jane Robertson

554 RESEARCH, Loveless' Labor, by Gerald W. Bracey

556 COURTSIDE, Virtual Liability?, by Perry A. Zirkel

558 BACKTALK

March 2003 * Volume 84 * Number 7

ON THE COVER
Mr. Thompson offers a vision of a high-performing school system, drawn from the policies, practices, and structures of existing school districts.

488 Creating a High-Performance School System, by Scott Thompson

FEATURES

TACKLING RACISM
How should a concerned teacher begin to address racism in an elementary classroom? Ms. Marriott wasn't altogether sure, but she knew she could no longer remain silent.

496 Ending the Silence, by Donna M. Marriott

HIGH-STAKES TESTING
Four observers share their views of the ways four different states are handling the matter of high-stakes testing. Only one state comes off well.

502 When Learning No Longer Matters: Standardized Testing and the Creation of Inequality, by Jo Boaler

507 Testing Third-Graders in New Hampshire, by Franklin Gould

514 An Allegory on Educational Testing in New York State, by William C. Cala

517 Nebraska STARS Line Up, by Pat Roschewski

PARENT CONFERENCES
Ms. Stevens and Mr. Tollafield offer 10 recommendations to help make parent/teacher conferences more productive and more comfortable for both parents and teachers.

521 Creating Comfortable and Productive Parent/Teacher Conferences, by Brenda A. Stevens and Andrew Tollafield

DEMOCRACY AND EDUCATION
Mr. Garrison argues that the renewal of education means creating schools in which the freedom to make choices and take action teaches students to assume the responsibility for their own learning.

525 Democracy, Experience, and Education: Promoting a Continued Capacity for Growth, by William H. Garrison

ADVICE FOR NEW PRINCIPALS
530 The Rookie's Playbook: Insights and Dirt for New Principals, by Autumn Tooms

CAPTURING STUDENT INTEREST
534 Motivating Learners with the Unusual: Thinking from 'Inside' the Box, by Douglas Bedient, Jacqueline Scolari, and Patricia Kowalewski

PURCHASING TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS
537 Leverage on Learning: Test Scores, Textbooks, and Publishers, by Jess E. House and Rosemarye T. Taylor

UNIVERSITIES AND CHARTER SCHOOLS
542 State University Roles in the Charter School Movement, by Kim K. Metcalf, Neil D. Theobald, and Gerardo Gonzalez

MANNERS FOR STUDENTS
546 The Battle for Civilized Behavior: Let's Begin with Manners, by Michael T. Burns

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND?
560 Left Behind, by Alan Sturrock