E. D. BellWinston-Salem State University

belle@wssu.edu

Is the achievement gap important? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Edmonds (1979) found in his analysis of the effectiveness of urban schools that some schools were effective in the education of poor urban children. He made this point: “There has never been a time in the life of the American Public School when we have not known all we needed to in order to teach all those whom we chose to teach” (p. 16).

Wang, Haertel, & Walberg (1993) reviewed 50 years of research on the factors that impacted student learning. Their analysis indicated that student ability, i.e. what students already knew, was the most important factor. However, classroom instruction and climate were almost as important.

We are engaged in school reform today because we are not and have not been successful with all children. It is not an accusation targeted at anyone, but a challenge to all of us today, including myself, to hold up the mirror and answer the question:

"What do we need to do differently to improve the academic achievement of all students? What do we need to do differently to challenge all students? And what do we need to do differently to close the achievement gap, the opportunity gap, any gap that exists that inhibits learning?" (Goodloe-Johnson, 2010, p. 18)

Project Bright Idea was developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as a pilot program to nurture and develop the interests and unusual abilities of young children in underrepresented groups (NCDPI, 2005).

All kindergarten Bright IDEA classrooms scored in the 99th percentile on the state literacy assessment.

Significant gains were seen in student achievement of the K-2 Literacy and Math Assessments across all of the sub-groups of children.

Achievement among African-American and Hispanic populations was raised close to the level of white and Asian students (NCDPI, 2005).

One school showed Bright Idea second graders scoring in the 80th percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills Reading exam vs. 39th percentile for those who did not go through the Bright Idea program. Class size averaged 21.5 in Bright IDEA classrooms and 18.8 in the non-Bright IDEA classrooms. This was the only school that administered the Iowa Test (NCDPI, 2005).

One principal provided data that showed nearly all Bright IDEA students in K-2 classrooms scoring 50-100% higher than students in regular classrooms for every assessment or inventory given, including the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (NCDPI, 2005).

We can eliminate the achievement gap in poor segregated schools. Latham Elementary School in WS/FCS was an excellent example (Powell, Fields, Bell, & Johnson, 2007).

The “Latham Way” changed the culture of the school, i.e., how the students, the teachers, and the parents changed how they thought about themselves and one another.

1999 2000 2001 2002

Grade 3 60.3 60.6 57.1 75.6

Grade 4 67.9 60.5 64.7 84.4

Grade 5 73.9 63.8 74.2 93.8

Bob Herbert in his March 21, 2011 editorial in the New York Times describes another way. He quotes Richard Kahlenberg from the Century Foundation “Ninety-five percent of education reform is about trying to make separate schools for rich and poor work, but there is little evidence that you can have success when you pack all the low-income students into one particular school” (Herbert, 2011, par. 5).

Herbert argues that integrating schools by race and income will erase the achievement gap

Herbert closes his editorial with this statement

“Separate but equal. The Supreme Court understood in 1954 that it would never work. But our perpetual bad faith on matters of race keeps us trying” (Herbert, 2011, par 14).

“There has never been a time in the life of the American Public School when we have not known all we needed to in order to teach all those whom we chose to teach” (Edmonds, 1979, p. 16).

If the achievement gap is important, what if anything can or should you do about?

Edmonds, R. (1979). Effective schools for the urban poor. Educational Leadership, 37 (1), 15- 18, 20-24.

Goodloe-Johnson, (2010). The challenge for educators: Seattle’s superintendent outlines social justice priorities and their importance in efforts to close the achievement gap. Journal of Staff Development, 31(4), 18-19

Herbert, B. (March 21, 2011). Separate but unequal.

New York Times. Retrieved on March 25, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/opinion/22herbert.html

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). (2005). Project bright idea 1: Interest development early abilities. A model k-2 nurturing program 2001-2004, a Final report. Retrieved on March 27, 2011 from http://www.aagc.org/FinalReport52705.pdf

Powell, F. D., Fields, L. D., Bell, E. D., & Johnson, G. S. (2007). Manhood, scholarship, perseverance, uplift, and elementary students: An example of school community collaboration. Urban Education, 42(4), 296 - 312.

Wang, M. C., Haertel, G. D., &. Walberg, H. J (1993). What helps students learn? Educational Leadership, 51(4), 74-79.