Achievement Gap

Ensuring success for all students
Schools across the state and the nation have proven that all students, including those from challenging backgrounds, can learn at higher levels.

Yet the achievement gap between poor and minority students and their peers remains extensive and very real:

• In 2005, the dropout rates for Washington Latino, Native American and African American students were nearly double that of their white peers.

• Only 28 percent of Latino, 28 percent of Native American and 31 percent of African American took the rigorous coursework needed to even apply to a four-year university in Washington State.

• Students of color are two times more likely than white students to report having a teacher discourage them from taking high-level math classes.

• Half of the students who graduate from high school and immediately enter a community or technical college have to take remedial coursework. This problem is more acute with students of color.

But the answer to these sobering realities is not to lower standards for these students. All students, but especially high minority, high poverty children, benefit from a culture of high expectations, rigorous coursework and targeted supports. A study performed by Clifford Adelman for the U.S. Department of Education demonstrates that students of color who received a strong high school curriculum entered college at nearly the same levels as their white peers.

The following groups have paid particular attention to achievement gap issues. They have worked to: document success stories; stimulate discussion about policy and funding levers that make a difference; and spearheaded efforts to more proactively engage parents in this important discussion. They offer research on closing the gap and helpful resources for parents, educators and business and community leaders.

The Education Trust
This well-respected national organization works to ensure high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-kindergarten through college. They provide advocacy, analysis, research and assistance to schools, colleges and communities to help their efforts in raising student achievement, especially among poor and minority students. To view a presentation on the achievement gap by Education Trust Executive Director Kati Haycock, visit our blog.

Center for Improvement of Student Learning

A clearinghouse for educational resources, success stories and promising practices, the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning (CISL) seeks to increase access to information and resources to improve learning and teaching. CISL promotes academic success and equality for all students, specifically those in underserved communities.

Heritage Leadership Camp

The Heritage Leadership Camp is a series of day-long workshops developed for middle school boys and run by community-minded men of color. A successful program funded by Communities In Schools, partnered with the Federal Way School District, and founded by male community leaders, the camp focuses on the development of leadership and conflict resolution skills and provides valuable perspective on peer pressure issues.

Community Coalition

The Community Coalition is a nonprofit organization that addresses the fundamental conditions of poverty, racism and joblessness that foster drug addiction and crime. The coalition works with African American and Latino residents to build a prosperous and productive South Los Angeles with safe neighborhoods, quality schools, a strong social safety net, and economic development based on community need. To view a video of Executive Director Marqueece Dawson-Harris’ grassroots movement to raise standards in Los Angeles schools visit our blog.

Strong American Schools and Ed in ‘08

Strong American Schools is a nonpartisan public awareness and action campaign offering a voice to every American who supports “ED in 08.” Their goal is to ensure that the nation engages in a rigorous debate and to make education a top priority in the 2008 presidential election.