As I read the recent Denver Post article about the academic achievement gap between minority and white students, I had to check the date – I was certain I had read the same article last year, and in 2003, 2002 and 2001.
Indeed, in every year since the era of school accountability began, there has been a flurry of articles noting that the results of CSAP tests reveal substantial disparities in achievement along racial lines as well as equally important inequalities based on socioeconomics and substantial variations between wealthy and impoverished school districts.
Despite this recurring conclusion, we have failed to enact meaningful reform to provide equal education opportunities for all students. Accountability devices have successfully revealed what many students, teachers and community members have been saying for years: Race and poverty have a devastating effect on academic achievement that serves to unfairly limit the opportunities available to poor and minority students.
Yet, now that we’ve officially identified the problem, we are no closer to developing a solution.
What good are accountability plans if we don’t then provide the resources needed to address achievement disparities? The CSAP reports don’t help poor and minority children unless they serve as an impetus for action.
State government and local districts should earn an “unsatisfactory” on their own CSAP test. I am tired of the inadequate response to the disparities within and between schools. My former classmates in Denver Public Schools are tired of stated dedications to closing the achievement gap that aren’t followed by substantive reform, action and funding.
Students around the state facing barriers to academic success are tired of politicians and administrators who engage in symbolic promises but don’t address the real problems with education.
Let’s hold the entire state to a higher standard concerning education. I say this not to denigrate those who are doing everything they can to enact change with the resources they have. I know that many teachers, administrators, community members and policymakers are passionately trying to alleviate these educational disparities, and some are making a huge difference. But it’s not enough.
To make real headway, we need a statewide commitment to doing our best for each child. It is time for us to say that we will reform the system and not stop until every child has an equal opportunity to succeed and the barriers to achievement are eliminated.
The recent appointment of DPS Superintendent Michael Bennet and the measures on November’s ballot, including school board elections and Referendums C and D, present an opportunity to revitalize our dedication to closing the achievement gap.
The students of Colorado need your help as advocates and agents of change. There is no magical solution, but we can take real and significant steps toward eliminating these gaps, starting with providing additional resources and implementing creative but proven strategies to counteract these disparities.
We could fund after-school and summer programs that reinforce student learning; provide the training and incentives necessary to recruit and retain qualified teachers; set high yet achievable standards for students, teachers and administrators; offer opportunities like AP courses and art, theater, and debate classes to all students; supply teachers with the materials they need to teach effectively; reduce class sizes; and create more economically integrated schools.
There are numerous methods for helping close the achievement gap, but they require a renewed commitment to making sure that no child is left behind.
Only through a new dedication to enact meaningful reform can we ensure that next year’s post-CSAP results headline says, “Achievement gap narrowing; at-risk and minority students show great improvement.” Then, somewhere down the road, we can hope to read the article titled, “What achievement gap?”
Michele Stillwell-Parvensky is a DPS graduate and a current student at Georgetown University. She can be reached at
