In the 1960s, Robert Kennedy described the disparity in academic achievement between our country’s advantaged and disadvantaged students as a “stain on our national honor.” Four decades later, closing the “achievement gap” remains one of our educational system’s most significant challenges, both nationally and in Colorado.
The opportunity for academic achievement for all students is key to a prosperous, safe and just society. An educated workforce contributes to a strong economy and provides our next generation with the tools they need to contribute to their communities. We all have an interest in making sure our children are succeeding, no matter their family’s income or their ethnic background.
But how are we doing? Overall, student test scores have risen in our state over the past several years, and we can be proud of that accomplishment. But this rising sea is not lifting all boats. A recent report by the Colorado Children’s Campaign finds that Colorado’s poor students lag far behind their peers on our state achievement test. For example, in 10th-grade math, 38 percent of students in the wealthiest schools reached proficiency on the CSAP in 2005, compared with only 17 percent in the poorest schools. Results for reading and writing show the same pattern, where about twice as many children in the wealthiest schools reach proficiency compared to the poorest schools.
In fact, the achievement gap between rich and poor students is widening, not closing. The report also shows that in reading, writing and math, the gap between wealthy and poor children is widening in many grades. For example, on the eighth-grade writing test, scores for wealthy students went up between 2001 and 2005, but scores for poor students actually went down. By 2005, more than 170,000 students in the wealthiest schools achieved proficiency on this test, compared to fewer than 78,000 students in the poorest schools. These trends reveal that many schools and districts have had difficulty raising their poorest students’ achievement.
In spite of this sobering news, there is evidence that we can do better. Several districts and schools throughout our state have successfully raised the scores of poor and minority students. In the Fountain school district, for example, the percent of students scoring proficient or better on the state tests has steadily increased an average of 2.5 percentage points per year. Schools serving poor children in Pueblo, Longmont and other communities throughout the state have also had success over the past decade. Though successful schools in these districts and others are as diverse as the children who attend them, they all have some things in common. They offer challenging curricula and high standards. Their districts support local reform efforts by providing strong leadership, qualified teachers, instructional support and financial resources. High-performing schools have a focused vision of their educational goals and employ proven strategies to design and implement instruction.
School district leaders and principals should learn from schools that are meeting the achievement-gap challenge and replicate what works. At the state level, improved accountability programs have helped spotlight some glaring problems with our educational system and have highlighted some success stories.
But the accountability system is not yet prepared to meet the demands of the 21st century. Coloradans deserve accurate measures of student performance and data on individual student achievement over time. District leaders must also take a hard look at failing schools and make immediate, sometimes radical changes.
No more excuses. No more justifications of the achievement gap in our schools. The challenges involved in educating disadvantaged children should not stop us from addressing our state’s academic disparities.
It is time for results, not rhetoric. We must replace our excuses with thoughtful and effective action.
Van Schoales is executive vice president of education initiatives and Andrew Brodsky is director of research and evaluation at the Colorado Children’s Campaign.
