"Phillip, turn around." This time, without hesitation, Phillip turns back to his work. The teacher, Jason Kamras, continues helping another student, Jasmin, work with a pre-algebra problem. The same group of Sousa students who earlier tortured Robert Novak now sits attentively learning math. "With Mr. Novak, if you don't want to learn, you can go ahead and get out of learning," Phillip says. "Mr. Kamras is all about learning."
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Kamras's work at Sousa shows the dramatic difference a teacher can make. He came to Sousa in 1996 through Teach for America, which places bright young college graduates in low-income urban and rural schools. Save for a stint at Harvard's education school, he has been at Sousa ever since. His class feels very different from the rest of the school. The door closes quietly. Kamras has repainted the walls himself. And his students are improving. In 2002, Kamras, then teaching seventh grade, persuaded his principal, William Lipscomb, to have his students take two daily periods of math. After the double dose, seventh-grade math scores soared. This year, all students at Sousa have math twice a day.
Raising black achievement will require schools to embrace the new priorities--high expectations, great teaching, and a focus on accountability--that have been integral to Charlotte's success. These are among the most important lessons America's schools must learn five decades after Brown.
All are apparent in Kamras's room. He keeps the class fast paced and exciting, he tolerates no misbehavior, and he forgets no one. After working with Jasmin, he calls on the class to get ready for a math game called "Face Off: Ladies v. Gentlemen." The game gives each student a chance to match math skills against a classmate. Here Phillip shows he is one of the smartest students in the class. No longer does he instigate disruptions. Extraneous talking costs the offending team points, and throughout the game Phillip diligently works to shush his teammates. He buys in. He gets it. He is learning.
A Lingering Divide
High school graduation rates have risen steadily for all groups, but striking racial and ethnic differences remain. Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that the academic gains black and Hispanic 17-year-olds made during the mid-1980s have leveled off. But some urban schools are doing much better on the NAEP than others.
Percentage of Black Fourth Graders Scoring Well Below Grade Level
National average (all races) 24 percent.
Math 2003
Charlotte 27 pct.
Houston 38
New York City 42
Los Angeles 58
Chicago 61
District of Columbia 67
Reading 2003
Charlotte 52 pct.
Houston 57
New York City 57
Los Angeles 70
Chicago 67
District of Columbia 73
Average National Test Scores for 17-year-olds
Reading
[Data unavailable]
[Chart labels] 230, 250, 270, 290, 310
White, Hispanic, Black
1971, 1985, 1999
Math
[Data unavailable]
[Chart labels] 230, 250, 270, 290, 310
1971, 1985, 1999
White, Hispanic, Black
High School Graduation Rates Among Americans 25 Years and Older
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