Nine years after NCLB, although there have been improvements in test scores of U.S. minority students, serious gaps persist between the achievement of white students and their black and Latino counterparts.

In this ASCD Talks with an Author, two high-profile advocates for black and Latino learners critically examine what's wrong with popular approaches to closing achievement gaps in U.S. schools and discuss more potent approaches.Drawing from decades of research, they detail strategies any teacher can take to promote strong student engagement, inner orientations to learning, and in-school assets for at-risk minority kids.

This interview was conducted by Educational Leadership associate editor Naomi Thiers.