ABSTRACT
Minority and low-performing students are more likely to be placed in ability groups and have the “least effective teachers.” An important first step in moving toward equity for all children is to seek and value diversity as an asset and a necessity for a flourishing learning culture in and out of school. Curriculum and standards ought to be a guide, not a straightjacket, and be meaningfully connected to students’ lives. The Common Core State Standards set a necessary, higher bar for what students should know and be able to do, especially as related to analytical thinking, communication skills, and conceptual understandings in reading and writing texts and in content knowledge. Learning to love words is something we can easily and deliberately incorporate into our teaching in all disciplines, for all students.
