FYI: Large urban school districts are showing steady improvement in test scores, often outpacing the rest of their state, says a study from the Council of the Great City Schools, a D.C.-based group that advocates for urban schools. In its third annual assessment of the nation’s big city school districts, the Council found particular improvement in math scores. Looking at test results for 59 districts in 36 states, the study found that the percentage of districts with improving math scores at all grade levels jumped from 47 percent in 2000 to 64 percent in 2002. Nearly 90 percent of the districts increased their math scores in at least half their grades. And almost a fifth of the districts showed math improvements that outpaced those of the rest of the state. [4/3/03]