LITMIR.BIZ

       About the Authors

      Robert D. Barr, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized scholar, speaker, and author who has been quoted in the New York Times and has appeared on national television programs such as Firing Line with William Buckley, ABC Evening News With Peter Jennings, and the O’Reilly Factor. Dr. Barr has served as an expert witness at many state and federal trials and has presented testimony to subcommittees of the U.S. Congress. His work in teacher education has earned three national awards for excellence in teacher education: the AACTE Distinguished Achievement Award, the AASA Showcase of Excellence Award, and the Theodore Mitou Award. Dr. Barr has had extensive international experience as well.

      Dr. Barr is the former director of teacher education at Indiana University and dean of the College of Education at Oregon State University. He is currently senior analyst for the Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies, where he directs a project funded by the J. A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Dr. Barr has authored or coauthored eight books.

      William H. Parrett, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies, where he coordinates funded projects and reform initiatives that exceed $1.2 million annually. He has received international recognition for his work in school improvement, small schools, and alternative education, and for his efforts to help youth at risk. He consults with state departments, boards of education, state and regional service providers, and school districts in 35 states and 8 nations. His professional experiences include public school and university teaching, curriculum design, principalships, college leadership, and media production. Dr. Parrett holds a Ph.D. in secondary education from Indiana University and is currently a professor of education at Boise State University.

      Dr. Parrett is the author or coauthor of eight books and numerous contributions to national publications and international and national conferences. His documentary, Heart of the Country (1998), was nominated for the Pare Lorentz Award at the 1999 International Documentary Awards and has won the Award of Commendation from the American Anthropological Association, a Gold Apple Award from the National Education Media Network Festival, a National CINE Golden Eagle Award, and a Judges’ Award at the 24th Northwest Film Festival. In addition, Heart of the Country was an invited feature and screened at the Cinema du Reel festival in Paris (1998) and the Margaret Mead Film Festival (1998) in New York City.

      Drs. Parrett and Barr are also the coauthors of Saving Our Students, Saving Our Schools (2003, Corwin), Hope Fulfilled for At-Risk and Violent Youth: K–12 Programs That Work (2001, Allyn & Bacon), and How To Create Alternative, Magnet, and Charter Schools That Work (1997, Solution Tree).

       Preface

      The Kids Left Behind could not have happened without the assistance and support of many groups and individuals. First, we are deeply indebted to the scholars, educators, evaluators, and authors who were responsible for the 18 studies, reports, and data analyses of high-poverty, high-performing schools that are the foundation of this work. Collectively, these pioneering efforts to identify how schools and districts have closed the achievement gap for underachieving poor students provide a blueprint for America’s districts and schools.

      We offer our heartfelt respect and gratitude to Kati Haycock, executive director of the Education Trust, one of the leading organizations committed to advocacy for students of poverty. In addition to writing the foreword, she found time to review our early manuscripts and provided insight and suggestions that helped shape this book.

      We also extend our appreciation to the authors and supporting organizations of each of the included studies, reports and data analyses. They include: G. Borman, G. Hewes, L. Overman, and S. Brown (Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk); S. Carter (Heritage Foundation); B. Goodwin (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning); J. Greene and G. Forster (Manhattan Institute, Center for Civic Innovation); C. Jerald (Education Trust); P. Kannapel and S. Clements (Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence); R. Kitchen, J. DePree, S. Celedon-Pattichis, and J. Brinkerhoff (University of New Mexico); G. Manset, D. Gordon, M. Richie, E. St. John (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory); D. Massell (Center for Policy Research); G. McGee (Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies); D. Reeves (Center for Performance Assessment); J. Richardson (National Staff Development Council); J. Rutherford (Just for the Kids / National Center for Educational Accountability); C. Teddlie and S. Stringfield (Teachers College Press); W. Togneri and S. Anderson (Learning First Alliance); T. Williams, M. Kirst, and E. Haertel (EdSource); the Iowa Association of School Boards; and the U.S. Department of Education.

      We also humbly thank the thousands of educators in the remarkable schools studied by the above listed authors and organizations. Indeed, their work, dedication, and successes made these among the first schools in the nation to demonstrate that underachieving poor and minority students can indeed achieve high standards.

      We hope that our efforts to compile and represent their achievements do justice to the daily work in each of their districts, schools, and classrooms, and we hope that this book will lead to similar student achievement and successes in all schools.

      The preparation and writing of this book initially began with the identification and analysis of 11 studies, and over the next year, 6 more were added as they became available. The last study was analyzed and inserted in the spring of 2006, as the book was being formatted for publication. We believe these studies represent a most timely resource for educators struggling to close achievement gaps for poor and minority students across the United States. Again, we extend our deepest professional appreciation to the scholars and organizations who are responsible for these important studies.

      As in each of our earlier books, we have supplemented our research and analysis with interviews, discussions, and observations from our recent work in schools and districts in 41 states. While this manuscript was in development, we presented at over two dozen national conferences and met with scholars at Boise State University, George Washington University, Ohio State University, Oregon State University, UCLA, the University of Alaska, the University of Iowa, the University of Toronto, and the University of Washington. We have worked with advocacy organizations including the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, the Alaska Council on Economic Education, the National Dropout Prevention Center/ Network, the National Alternative Education Association, the California Education Alliance, the National School Boards Association, the National Staff Development Council, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the American Association of School Administrators. Interaction with each of these organizations gave us unique opportunities to share our preliminary conclusions, discuss public policy issues, and gain valuable information.

      We owe a particular word of thanks to the J. A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, in particular Joe Scott, chairman; Jamie Skillern, director; Tom Wilford, chief executive officer; Lori Fisher, executive director; and their colleagues and other board members for the Foundation’s unprecedented support of school improvement in the state of Idaho. Through Foundation partnerships, many Idaho schools, like nationally recognized Lapwai Elementary, have emerged as beacons

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