Closing the achievement gap: successful practices at a middle school -- a case study

UnrestrictedClosing of the achievement gap continues to be one of the most vexing and daunting concerns for educators across the nation. Seemingly, in spite of the tremendous resources and effort targeted at this problem by policy makers, school districts, educational leaders, teachers, and parent and community groups, there remains a persistent disparity in academic performance between groups of students, particularly between white and/or Asian and affluent students and students of color, minority, poverty and second language learners.; Through a combination of structured and focused leadership, high-quality instruction, high expectations, efficacy, and the effective use of data, Mid-Valley Intermediate School has experienced phenomenal success in promoting high-levels of student achievement in a traditionally underperforming population. Cultivating a strong instructional team, providing them with meaningful professional training, and promoting a school culture intently focused on academic excellence has helped Mid-Valley Intermediate experience extraordinary growth in student achievement over the past several years