ABSTRACT
It was not unusual to hear educators in Norfolk, Virginia, mouth platitudes like “all children can learn” and “all means all,” but when Dr. John Simpson took over as superintendent in 1998, he was determined to make certain that the words were translated into action. Norfolk Public Schools (NPS) was Virginia’s largest urban school system with 37,000 students and 49 schools. Nearly 65 percent of the students qualifi ed for free or reduced-price meals, and 66 percent were African American. Student performance on Virginia’s Standards of Learning tests was a source of local embarrassment.
