Teachers, here's a chance to take part in a discussion about how your most noble classroom efforts can pay off for students. Have a live online chat with Karen Chenoweth about 'Academic Success in Unexpected Schools'. She's the author of It’s Being Done: Academic Success in Unexpected Schools, a new book from the Harvard Education Press.

I (Chenoweth) have spent the last two years visiting schools, and I can now say unequivocally that ... It is possible to find schools all over the country that don’t listen to those who say what they are doing is impossible. Instead, they teach their students — including their children of poverty and children of color—to high levels.

Take, for example, Frankford Elementary School, in Frankford, Del. ... Many of the school’s parents work in the poultry industry or in service jobs ... About three-quarters of the students meet the qualifications for the federal free and reduced-price meal program, and the student body is almost evenly divided among African-American, white, and Latino students ... mostly very recent immigrants from Mexico.

Frankford Elementary consistently posts numbers such as 95 percent and even 100 percent of its students meeting state standards in reading and math, and science and social studies aren’t far behind. At Frankford, African-American students consistently outscore the average for all Delaware students. The same is true for its neighboring school, East Millsboro Elementary, which, if anything, posts even higher scores than Frankford...

The way longtime Principal Gary Brittingham of East Millsboro puts it, “If you can predict who is going to have some difficulty, we in this business should figure out some way to help that child...”

These and other similar schools I visited are exciting places to be. They have a relentless focus on improving instruction, but they never forget that their primary goal is to help children prepare for their futures.

Barbara Adderley, the principal of M. Hall Stanton Elementary School in Philadelphia, one of the schools featured in the book, will join the Chenoweth chat.

Kudos, teachers, for demonstrating that your students can exceed conventional expectations. Now, let's get all of these teachers and students state-of-the-art mobile PCs, so they can learn anything they want anywhere and anytime. That seems like a small reward for their accomplishments.

I wonder how many teachers already use Tablet PCs, Ultra Mobile PCs, and other mobile PCs to prep for classes, or if they still do it the harder way, manually?

Karin Chenoweth is a long-time education writer who currently writes for The Achievement Alliance.

When: Monday, May 7, 2007, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time.

Where: Edweek-chat.org

Submit your questions in advance here.

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