Where did I hear this before...

From a recent article by Jay Matthews

Parental involvement is often cited as vital to raising student achievement. The best schools usually have the most school-oriented parents, many experts say. So doesn't it make sense that all schools need that kind of support at home?

But a new study of low-income public schools in California has concluded that several other factors, including teaching the state's rigorous academic content and getting experienced teachers, have much more influence on achievement than does parents' involvement. The findings have inspired a national debate on the subject, with some parents like Allen saying the study is correct and others saying parental influence should not be so quickly dismissed. From the Detroit News

Oh yeah, now I remember. Dr. William Sanders has been saying this for years.

A recent report by the national nonprofit group Education Trust, based in part on Sanders' analyses, found that the achievement gap that separates low-income and minority students from other students could be eliminated if the low-income and minority students were assigned to the best teachers. 1998 The Tennessean

The report, Good Teaching Matters - How Well-Qualified Teachers Can Close the Gap, goes on to assert that the academic achievement gap - the gap in standardized test scores and other measures of achievement that separates low-income students and students of color from other students - could be entirely eliminated if these students were systematically assigned the most highly qualified teachers, rather than the least qualified teachers. August 1998 Education Trust

And back to the newest study:

The four practices most closely associated with high student performance were

• putting greater emphasis on student achievement,
  

• tightening the curriculum to fit the state academic standards,
  

• using student assessments to identify and remove weaknesses in instruction, and
  

• assembling certified and experienced teachers and principals with the best educational equipment.