And in elementary school as well.....

"St. Paul's Frost Lake Elementary has focused intensely on its black students lately.

Administrators and teachers pore over data and ask: If black students make up 20 percent of the student body, why do they account for 65 percent of the suspensions? Why do they lag behind peers in reading and math?

The school's "equity team" is an offshoot of the district's three-year relationship with San Francisco-based consultant Pacific Educational Group, or PEG. The premise: Educators can only chip away at achievement disparities if they confront their own racial biases and the ways racism permeates schools.

"We are asking our staff to change rather than expect kids to change to fit our comfort level -- and that's huge," said Frost Lake Principal Stacey Kadrmas.

PEG's input has spurred districtwide changes in St. Paul, from a push to reduce suspensions to a bid to integrate students with intensive special needs into mainstream classrooms. Districts such as Edina examined reading selections, hallway posters and curriculums to ensure they include faces and voices with whom students of color can identify.

Critics say PEG's work has alienated some educators and, in recasting certain discipline issues as cultural misunderstandings, let disruptive students and their families off the hook. Some point to the cost of PEG's services and the scarcity of solid evidence they boost achievement.

Facing the race issue: St. Paul schools use California-based group in effort to reduce achievement gap - TwinCities.com