Making schools work

PBS finds a recipe for "Making Schools Work"
A companion web site to the PBS television series "Making Schools Work,"this online resource invites educators to follow host Hedrick Smith and his production team into classrooms from coast to coast to see how different communities, large and small, are coping with the challenge of preparing students for success in the face of higher federal standards and a new global economy. Among the site's many features are best practices detailing effective reform efforts underway in individual schools; a look at district-wide initiatives in New York City, San Diego, and Charlotte, N.C.; and a library of community-focused resources meant to help teachers and parents gauge how much work still needs to be done in their schools. "The common denominator"of all these programs, producers note as they welcome visitors to the site, "is results--lifting scores and closing achievement gaps, not just for a few hundred children but for nearly 2 million, from our inner cities to rural America."