News10.net - Race and Education

Measures of academic success -- test scores, Advanced Placement course enrollment, graduation rates -- have long indicated disparities between students of different races. Those measures have generally found black and Latino students have not performed as well academically as their Asian and white classmates.

Why is there an achievement gap? Do Latino and African American kids have the same access to quality education as other students? Are the expectations for students of color different than those for white students? Do people of different races value education differently? Why do some minority students consider it "uncool" to demonstrate ability in the classroom?

These are several theories about why black and Latino students, as well as Native American and non-native English language students score lower on achievement benchmarks. News10 reporters Dana Howard and Karen Massie continue to look at why there are academic achievement differences among races and what -- if anything -- is being done to bridge the achievement gap.

Latest Story -
April 23, 2008:
Sacramento High Celebrates Major Milestones

News10 Reporter Blogs:
Dana Howard - Rich School, Poor School

Karen Massie - Overcoming "Acting White"

Test Score Gap

Whether it's urban campuses like McClatchy High in Sacramento or more suburban schools like
Roseville's Oakmont High or Davis High in Davis, African-American and Hispanic/Latino students generally
score lower on state standardized tests than their white and Asian classmates.

2005 Academic Performance Index (API) Scores, By Ethnicity
School	White	Asian	Hispanic/ Latino	African-Amer.
Elk Grove High, Elk Grove	779	794	708	703
McClatchy High, Sac.	802	747	595	573
Franklin High, Stockton	633	637	549	546
Oakmont High, Roseville	765	---	721	722
Valley High, Sac.	---	754	610	600
Modesto High, Modesto	805	731	640	660
Davis High, Davis	874	886	679	---

"Acting White"

Many African-American students who excel academically often find they receive little praise from some of their peers. Parents and teachers worry that accusations of "acting white" could play a part how many black students are taking college-level courses -- and may play a role in the state's dropout rate.

Rich School, Poor School

Located only one mile apart near downtown Sacramento, Crocker Riverside Elementary School and Jedediah Smith Elementary School are divided by race, economics -- and ultimately, test scores.

	Crocker Riverside Elementary	Jedediah Smith Elementary
Grades	K-6	K-7
Enrollment	460	361
Ethnic Breakdown	56.3% White 17.0% Hispanic/Latino 14.1% Asian 8.7% African-Amer. 3.9% Other	57.1% African-Amer. 21.1% Hispanic/Latino 11.6% Asian 6.9% White 3.3% Other
No. of Full-Time Teachers	22	20
Teacher Ethnicity	18 - White 2 - Asian 1 - Amer. Indian 1 - Filipino	10 - White 5 - Asian 3 - Filipino 1 - Pacific Islander 1 - African-Amer.
2005 API Avg. Scores (Target: 800)	903	641
Standardized Test Scores: English/Lang. Arts, % Proficient or Above (Target: 24.4%)	75.2%	17.2%
Math, % Proficient or Above (Target: 26.5%)	77.7%	37.3%
Score Breakdowns, By Group: English/Lang. Arts, Proficient or Above	White - 85.1% Hispanic/Latino - 63.5% Socio-economically Disadvantaged - 49.2%	English Learners - 20.7% Socio-economically Disadvantaged - 17.2% African-Amer. - 16.3% Hispanic/Latino - 9.8%
Math, % Proficient or Above	White - 83.9% Hispanic/Latino - 61.5% Socio-economically Disadvantaged - 54.1%	English Learners - 46.6% Socio-economically Disadvantaged - 37.3% Hispanic/Latino - 33.3% African-Amer. - 32.7%
Avg. Class Size	31 students	34 students
Students Per Computer	7.8	4.1
English Learners	22 - 4.8%	75 - 20.8%
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Meals	87 - 18.9%	349 - 96.7%
	Data compiled by the California Dept. of Education for the 2005-2006 school year

Analyzing the Achievement Gap

CSUS Multicultural Dept. Professor Duane Campbell has studied the Achievement Gap and said the gender and ethnicity of a school's faculty can have a major impact in the results of their students.

Shifting Demographics of Teaching (:45)
Minority Students, White Faculties (:35)
Impact of Minority School Leaders (1:04)

Other Race and Education Stories

	Sacramento High Celebrates Major Milestones April 23, 2008 Celebration at Sacramento Charter High School -- sophomores passing the state exit exam jumped 10 percent and 75 percent of seniors were headed to four-year colleges.

	African-American Kids Encouraged to Be Leaders April 4, 2008 The African American Student Leadership Conference at Sac State was designed to encourage African-American students to do better in school and lead the next generation.

	Closing the Gap January 7 , 2008 On campuses across Sacramento, students often found on the wrong side of the achievement gap are taking steps and forming programs to bring that gap to a close.

	Astronaut Has Stories That Are Out Of This World November 29, 2007 Five years ago, John Herrington remembers walking in space. The first Native American astronaut showed video of his trip into space to students at Edward Harris Middle School in Elk Grove.

	Winning Essay Could Be Just the Start November 15, 2007 For Michael Tubbs of Stockton, winning a prestigious essay writing contest might just be the start.

	Closing the Achievement Gap: More Vocational Education? November 15, 2007 Vocational education supporters say more career and technical classes would help reduce failure rates among Black and Latino students.

	Educators Confront the Education Gap: Is "White Privilege" to Blame? November 14, 2007 Thousands attended a Sacramento conference on the "achievement gap" -- while some educators say "white privilege" lies at the heart of the issue.

	Teacher: Too Many Substitutes at Hiram Johnson November 9, 2007 With several substitute teachers on staff at Hiram Johnson High School, at least one teacher says test scores may continue to sag until the district hires qualified instructors.

	Parents Fight to Close Achievement Gap August 23 , 2007 With t he achievement gap between black students and their white and Asian counterparts, parents at Elk Grove's Laguna Creek High School are looking for ways to even the playing field.

	Staff Effort Narrows Achievement Gap at Dixon School May 23 , 2007 Teachers at Anderson Elementary in Dixon have focused on reading, helping students where they need help and collaboration to make a significant difference in the academic gap between whites and Hispanics.

	Cousins at the Top of Their Class and Game May 21 , 2007 African-American cousins Dorothy Donker and Julian Brooks are headed to a top university after success at Rio Linda High School.

	Young Teacher Helps At-Risk Students Find Pride in the Past February 20, 2007 Taking a lesson from one of his own teachers, first -year teacher Martin Ramirez believes all students have potential.

	Lodi Unified Schools Battle Achievement Gap February 2, 2007 Many call it an achievement gap. The superintendent of Lodi schools is more blunt. Bill Huyett calls it institutional racism.

	Companies Step Up to Close the Achievement Gap January 6, 2007 Local companies are taking the initiative to help bolster academic coaching and increase college eligibility rates for minorities students to help close the Achievement Gap.

	News10 Reflects: Race and Education December 29, 2006 A News10 half-hour special takes a look at the state of race and education in California's public schools and why many students, including many minorities, are falling on the wrong side of the Achievement Gap.

	Rich School, Poor School: Campuses Suffer Different Achievement Gap November 29, 2006 Sacramento's Crocker Riverside Elementary and Jedediah Smith Elementary are separated by just a matter of blocks, but a huge gap in test scores and parental involvement have left the two schools miles apart.

	Summer School Aims to Close Gap Among Southeast Asians August 1 , 2006 Supporters of the nation's No Child Left Behind law give California public schools high marks for the annual tests students take. But they also reveal a startling achievement gap among Asian children.

	One School Takes on the Achievement Gap May 25, 2006 A Sacramento elementary school with more than half of its students minorities and poor is making student achievement gains every year. A crucial component to its success is the school-parent contract.

	How to Close the Gap? May 24 , 2006 Some teachers feel parents don't support their child's education. Meanwhile, parents claim educators have preconceived bias about the abilities of black and Latino students and don't expect equal performance with white and Asian classmates.

	"Acting White" May 23 , 2006 Targeted for teasing just for performing well in class, Karen Massie meets with successful students who are tired of being accused of "acting white."

	Race and the Achievement Gap May 22, 2006 Dana Howard talks to teachers and parents who say the very subject of race in education remains a sensitive one.

Links

	California Dept. of Education DataQuest Find out how students at your school are performing on standardized tests, who's graduating and more.

	National Assessment of Educational Progress The federal government's compilation of how students are doing academically.

	North Central Regional Educational Laboratory Articles on scholarly research into the achievement gap.

	Losing Ground at School Collection of scholarly papers by Harvard University educator and researcher Roland G. Fryer, Jr.

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