HER Classic Empowering Minority Students: A Framework for Intervention

In 1986, the Harvard Educational Review published Jim Cummins’s article “Empowering Minority Students: A Framework for Intervention,” which offered a theoretical framework for addressing the achievement gap of minority students. Despite considerable attention to this issue, educators have seen little encouraging progress. Even now, fifteen years after its original publication, Cummins’s article provides insightful perspective and practical advice about a vexing problem. Because of its relevance to current debates, the Editorial Board has chosen to reprint this article, part of the HER Classics Series. We also hope that the ideas in this landmark article will stimulate new discussion around theoretical and practical approaches that educators can take to solving the problem of the minority achievement gap.