Historically, in this country we have sorted kids both by law and by practice and provided a different quality of education to kids who have been sorted into different groups, sometimes illegally and sometimes just inappropriately. In either case, kids are hurt, often for a lifetime. Because of this countrywide practice, the incredible challenge facing all advocates of standards-based reform is that kids don't come into our changing, improving schools from a level playing field. They have often received weak prior schooling. Perhaps even more challenging, they often live in families with parents or other adults who themselves have experienced poor quality education and inadequate or unfair treatment from the schools they once attended.
Research data are very clear.
A child's school achievement is most closely correlated with family income and mother's educational attainment. But there is no research that says that has to be. If we live up to the promise of standards-based reform, then schools, and every teacher in them, must work with each student to assure they have a fair chance to reach the standards set forth, no matter where they start on that uneven playing field. Unfortunately, too many states, districts and schools are not yet ready to invest in and act every day to accomplish this. Standards-based reform begins with a policy belief that all students can learn to high levels if they are taught to high levels.