3 months ago
News10 has reported extensively on the academic achievement gap that persists in our schools.
It's where African-American, Latino, Southeast Asian and low income students don't perform as well as their counterparts.
This school year, News10 is keeping the spotlight on this problem. We are working closely with Closing the Gap, a non-profit co-founded by News10's Dana Howard, to find and highlight News10 Student Scholars, students who are helping close the academic achievement gap.
Students like Gerardo Gonzalez, a senior at Sacramento's Grant High School.
College, as far as Gerardo is concerned, is not an option -- but a fact. He says the life his family left behind in Mexico put him on a mission to achieve high.
"I don't just want to do the school criteria. I want to do what's needed for college. So I want to get a B+ or A-," said Gerardo.
At school, he wears the uniform of the Criminal Justice Academy, a program sponsored by the Sacramento Police Foundation. Gerardo is a lieutenant in the program that encourages students to set big goals and reach them.
But that's not to say he hasn't had his stumbles. Before he goes to golf practice, meetings at city hall where he's on the youth council, before he goes to leadership club, Gerardo after school goes to Charge, a math class to make up for the D he got in Algebra 2.
"For Algebra 2, it was really hard for me to get a C+ and my test results weren't so great. I ended up failing that semester and the only way I can make it up is by going to Charge," Gerardo said.
He knows he must keep his 3.3. GPA, take advanced classes and that not falling into the achievement gap depends largely on how hard he works, how high he achieves and how strongly he can inspire others to do the same.
"You're (sitting) next to me...if I know a little bit more than you, you can ask me, and I could help. I know that most of them are not going to go to college and that doesn't make me happy," Gerardo said.
Last year in Sacramento, only one out of five African-American and Latino high school seniors had completed the courses required to even apply to a California state college. At Grant High School, it was less than one in eight. Gerardo is on track and plans to attend Sacramento State in 2010.
Please nominate a student to be featured as a student scholar. The student doesn't have to be low income or a minority, but they must be playing an active role in helping to close the achievement gap.
by Dana Howard, dhoward@news10.net
News10/KXTV
