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Just over a week ago, education blogger Corey Bower wondered whether a Barack Obama victory could narrow the achievement gap.  Among the reasons he cites: Obama could be a role model for African American students; Obama could unsettle traditional stereotypes that reinforce low achievement among students of color.

One possibility Bower's thoughtful and cautious analysis does not consider: Schools have an opportunity to use Obama's victory as a teachable moment. Without descending to partisan politics, schools can capitalize on a new sense of civic empowerment among students who, rightly or wrongly, have long felt disenfranchised.  In her recent Public School Insights interview, Harvard researcher Meira Levinson put it this way:

The students from these communities are likely to be much more in favor of Obama....  If Obama wins, schools have the opportunity to capitalize on that sense of hope and potential empowerment--in a non-partisan way.  One does not have to be an Obama supporter oneself to capitalize on that enthusiasm.

If educators go down this path, they will have to proceed cautiously to avoid promoting one party over the other or pushing McCain supporters to the margins.  Still, schools have a chance to address the profound and destructive disaffection that runs deep in some students of color.