In Left behind, Abigail Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom write:

Good schools scattered across the country show that the racial gap in academic skills and knowledge can be closed. The best inner-city public schools that we know are charter schools, which are free from many of the rules and regulations that so often frustrate fine principals and teachers. These schools greatly increase the amount of instructional time. Their principals have the authority and autonomy to manage their budgets, set salaries, staff the school with fabulous teachers and show the door to those who don't work out.

These schools focus relentlessly on the core academic subjects, insisting that their students learn the times tables, basic historical facts, spelling, punctuation, and rules of grammar. They provide safe, orderly environments in which to teach and learn. And they work hard to instill the "desire, discipline, and dedication" (watchwords of the much-celebrated KIPP Academies) that will enable disadvantaged youth to climb the American ladder of opportunity.

Whew! Somebody doesn't like unions. Of course, one of 'em's from the Manhattan Institute, but still, it sounds convincing. And a much more pressing problem than affirmative action on campus. I mean, the main reason there is such a small number of black professors in our department is that there are so few black candidates applying for jobs. Not surprising given the educational situation at the pre-graduate levels.

They also say,

The scholarly literature shows that neither graduate degrees in education nor years of experience in the classroom have a significant impact on student achievement. The best teachers are those with strong academic skills, as demonstrated by their performance on standardized tests.

I think the problem is that theory is very important to professors in every field because of the emphasis on publication. So in teaching classes, it's often easier for the professors to focus on how they do their research than on teaching the actual content. And the colleges of education don't have that much content.

Of course, all this is just another theory....

(also via arts & letters daily)