News

Local, state, and national news and events on closing the achievement gaps.

Achievement gaps debate
Los Angeles Times, week of November 25, 2007 [registration required]
Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute and Russlynn Ali of The Education Trust-West engage in a weeklong debate on the achievement gaps. They look at causes of and solutions to the gaps, and whether the No Child Left Behind law is helping or hurting, in these segments:  "Mind the (Achievement) Gap," "No Child to the Rescue?", and "What's Causing the Gap?"

Students scoring ACES
Herald News (NJ), November 20, 2007
Paterson's Eastside High School offers an Academic Community English Skills (ACES) program, which serves students who are new to the U.S. and who don't have an eighth-grade diploma, required for entry to high school. The program tries to bring the students -- who may have significant gaps in their schooling -- up to speed within two years by providing a middle school curriculum and English language instruction.

Simple steps would close racial gap, educator says
San Francisco Chronicle, November 14, 2007
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell convened a two-day summit on achievement gaps between Black and Latino students and their White and Asian counterparts. On the second day students took the stage to talk about what teachers can do to help them achieve. The Chronicle's editorial on the summit advocates for providing the resources necessary to close the gaps.

The Teacher Effect
Teacher Magazine Web Watch, September 12, 2007
A new study from Pittsburgh public schools suggests that improving teacher quality across the board may be the surest way to close the racial achievement gap.

St. Paul school conquers the education achievement gap
Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 11, 2007
How do you beat the odds on the achievement gap? At Farnsworth in St. Paul, they make learning fun -- and expected.

Schools Add Learning Hours
San Mateo County Times, September 10, 2007
Increasingly, districts and schools across the nation are exploring expanded instructional time to speed up children's learning and close a persistent achievement gap among students of different races.

Blacks in Suburbs Failing Md. Exams
Baltimore Sun, September 6, 2007
Minority students, especially African-Americans, are struggling to pass the exams in the suburban classrooms their families had hoped would provide a better education.