Intrigued by the stories of the schools profiled in The Alliance Alert during the past year? Then consider attending the November 3-5 conference of The Education Trust.

A team from Chattanooga (see this issue’s “It’s Being Done”) will be leading a session, as will teams from Delaware’s East Millsboro Elementary School, Philadelphia’s M. Hall Stanton Elementary School, Atlanta’s Capitol View Elementary School, and New York’s Port Chester Middle School. In addition, for those especially interested in high schools, the principals of New York’s Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School and Washington State’s Granger High School will hold sessions on how a focus on instruction and on each individual student drives improvement in their schools. (Profiles of all those schools are posted under “Success Stories” on www.achievementalliance.org.) Want a sneak peek at a school whose profile has not yet been published? Check out this session: a team from Imperial High School in California will report how their school–70 percent Latino—went from having mediocre achievement to being one of the top performers in the state.

To learn more about the conference, click here.

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MythBuster

Part of the folklore around No Child Left Behind is that it is a stalking horse for the planned dismantling of public education through the use of privatization and vouchers. But here’s something that is difficult to square with that view.

It's Being Done

By improving the knowledge and skills of teachers and principals, Hamilton County, Tennessee, has helped some of the worst schools in the state improve–some quite dramatically.

The Achievement Alliance
The Achievement Alliance was founded to provide accurate,
non-partisan information about student achievement and
No Child Left Behind. It is a project of the following
organizations:
Business Roundtable
Citizens Commission on Civil Rights
Education Trust
National Center for Educational Accountability
National Council of La Raza

What's New

Some states have yet to report 2005-2006 data; Teachers are satisfied in their jobs (really!); School integration efforts to be reviewed by the Supreme Court

Other Voices

A teacher has a “conversion” on the subject of tests; Parents of students with disabilities are told that No Child Left Behind helps their kids.