Perspective

I was visiting Clearwater Beach when I picked up the Tampa Bay Times and read Failure Factories, the investigation of five resegregated elementary schools in south St. Petersburg. At home on Chicago's south side, I am the director of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute (UEI). Over the past 20 years, I have committed my professional life to urban public schooling and, as such, I read the series with a deep interest in, and concern for, your students and schools. I wanted to share some lessons and ideas.

Across our institute, we train, certify and coach teachers; we conduct rigorous applied research; and we distribute tools and professional training across the country to improve schools...