By 2004, we knew how to do it. Citing the Learning Point 2004 publication, "All Students Reaching the Top: Strategies for Closing Academic Achievement Gaps" by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
Affirmative development of academic ability is nurtured and developed through:
(1) high-quality teaching and instruction in the classroom,
(2) trusting relationships in school, and
(3) supports for pro-academic behavior in the school and community.”
In the August 2004 article by Kiley Walsh Symonds titled, “After the Test: Closing the Achievement Gaps With Data,” Schools and districts may benefit from the following recommendations:
1. Schools need frequent credible data.
2. Teachers need support to use data.
3. Race matters.
4. Focus, especially on reading, is essential.
Closing the achievement gaps between white/Asian students and Hispanic/Latino or African-American students is a primary goal for school leaders. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. We just have to act… NOW!
Teachers are not in this alone. Although it hurts to read Pedro Noguera’s article, “Closing the Racial Achievement Gap: The Best Strategies of the Schools We Send Them To” (August 2007) in which he states…
Children know when they are taught by adults who care about them and who believe in them. They typically respond by displaying the qualities that are so essential to school success – self-motivation, self-discipline and resilience.
