Hello George Loper,

What is the deal with the statements made by Dr. Purnell in the recent Tribune article about African Americans receiving a lower quality of education then their white counter parts? Do teachers teach black kids differently then white kids? Is that the answer the administration of our city schools are giving to the question of WHY the racial achievement gap exists?

HOW are the practice SOL tests (the Flanagans) supposed to improve the quality of instruction that teachers provide for African American students, as Dr. Purnell suggests that they will?

Penny Bowles (electronic mail, October 20, 2004)