Special Session on the Achievement Gap

FYI

All of our state's ethnic commissions (Asian Pacific Islander, Native American, African American and Hispanic)  are involved in five studies on the academic achievement gap affecting students of color.

A long-standing fighter for educational equity may hold the key to aligning our efforts: Mr. Paul Ruiz, co-founder of the Education Trust.

If you care about educational equity, you are urgently invited to a special session on Tuesday, October 7, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, at Sea-Tac - Washington Mutual Leadership Center at Cedarbrook, 18525 36th Avenue South.  Driving directions: http://www.cedarbrokcenter.com/findus.html

Light refreshments will be served.
 
This event is free of charge. 

Please rsvp to Alicia Luna at 360-725-5661 or aluna@cha.wa.gov or Pam Morris at 360-725-5664 or pmorrris@caa.wa.gov.

Comments

chula's boy said…
What's the purpose of the discussion? Because if it's more discussion without action perhaps the agenda can be shaped to drive more action.

Also, how much control does the district [or the state] really have if there are socioeconomic issues which surround a school where minorities are failing. Eventually a coalition with parents/guardians has to be achieved; which can spill outside the classroom, matching academic achievement goals with support [in homes, families] to meet these goals.

And finally, are there examples in the district [schools or programs] where minority children are far exceeding WASL and baseline academic achievement goals? If so, what's the secret to their success?

con paz,
frank
9/28/08, 7:18 PM
Anonymous said…
Frank, those are all good questions. As the co-chair of the group working on the achievement gap among African Americans, I'd like to invite you to come to the meeting.

Those of you who know me, know that I'm not going to waste my time on anything that does not have serious action items attached.

We're at the tail end of months of studying what's working here in WA and in other places around the country, what the real issues seem to be behind the struggling schools/districts, and what our state is funding that just isn't working at all.

We're working really hard to present actions that government, school districts, schools, teachers, parents, and community organizations can participate in to ensure that all kids are getting what they need.

Please make an effort to attend and let your ideas be heard.
9/30/08, 12:27 PM
AutismMom said…
From a special education perspective, there are quite a few obvious things that can be done to reduce the achievement gap. Instead SPS seems to actively pursue policies that will increase the achievement gap, rather than reduce it.

The district should stop stuffing the most severely disabled students into predominantly minority schools which are also underperforming. Program placement of brand new (and exceedingly unpopular) special education programs at Roxhill elementary and Cleveland High School are a prime examples of this isolationist policy. Roxhill is 86% minority, only 10.8% of it's fourth graders pass the WASL, 77% are eligible for free or reduced lunch, 34% are transitional bilingual, and a whopping 30% are already disabled. Now they have a new batch of severely disabled students thanks to the new placement agenda. Cleveland High School is another good example. Like Roxhill, Cleveland already serves the highest percentage of students with disabilities of any high school, nearly 3 times the rate of Garfield. Of that number, none of them passed the math WASL. Doesn't it seem like bad practice to place special education students in schools that clearly can't educate them? Clearly, these are both struggling schools with huge challenges. Adding the most challenging students to the mix is grossly inequitable and a contributor to the acheivement gap. Equitably placing special education programs, and requiring wealthy schools to accept special education students, will be a key to reducing the achievement gap.

Next, fixing the racial disproportionality of the district's inclusion programming would definitely benefit minority students receiving special education. Why are there no African American students in inclusion programs? There's a black student or two, but they're always foreigners. Why does the district never recommend those inclusive programs for blacks and other minorities? Why are minority students stuck in the most segregated placements? I suggest people interested in this go look at Arbor Heights, Roxhill, or West Seattle Elementary self contained programs. You'll find very ordinary minority students, definitely not severely disabled, stuck in self-contained programs coloring maps and doing other age inappropriate activites. Their futures are grossly limited.

And finally, where is the district's EBD (emotional/behavior disability) report, completed this summer? They promised to make this available to the public this summer. So far, mum's the word and nothing has been published. EBD programs are where the district places the African American males it doesn't want to educate. It is the most restrictive and limiting placement of all.

I know lots of people don't care about special education. But if you care about the achievement gap, understanding it is vital. AND, minority are hugely over-represtented in special education. The two issues go hand in hand.
10/1/08, 8:27 PM
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