| For approximately a third of this decade, a mid-size urban school district took a bold step in its continuing efforts to battle what has been a persistent problem plaguing this Nation's education system for decades or possibly for as long as it has existed---the achievement gap between students of color and their White peers.;The district has previously spent millions of dollars on a variety of efforts to address the external factors they believed were contributing to the gap; however, the gap was still prevalent after those efforts and the district identified the classroom and schools as places for positive change, and it sought to address the relationship between students and their teachers, schools, and the district. To assist in this endeavor, the district hired a consultant to assist with a three-year race training initiative. This study of the district's efforts in addressing the relationship piece of the puzzle brought to the surface and framed an issue that this district and likely most districts in this Nation must address---profiling in the classroom.;Profiling in the classroom---using race to make assumptions about students resulting in negative treatment---undoubtedly leads to maintenance of and a widening of the achievement gap. In addition, where there is profiling in the classroom, there may be legal and policy implications. The results of this study highlight the importance and necessity of race training in districts nationwide.;In addition, the results of this study may serve as an important tool in creating, implementing and ultimately evaluating race or diversity training and other related professional development initiatives targeted at closing the racial achievement gap in schools and districts nationwide. The data brings to light, for district and school administrators and education consultants, potentially effective and ineffective methods of conducting such training and engaging in race or diversity training initiatives. |
