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News, analysis and opinion on reforms being offered to improve schools, whether the ideas originate in Washington, Austin or Dallas. The online discussion will take education policy debates seriously, while it connects them to students from grade school through college. We welcome and read all letters from readers. Letters are selected for publication based on their clarity and brevity. They also are chosen to represent a diverse set of views on as many issues as possible. January 2010
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January 14, 2010
Here's the new reality for public schools in the South: For the first time most of their students are poor and come from a minority family. Soon, the rest of America will catch up with Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and the other Old South states. A report released by the Southern Education Foundation recently reached those conclusions. The findings present an immediate challenge for states like Texas. And they quickly will test all parts of the country. By 2020, the rest of America's schools will face the same demographic challenge. What a twisted irony, when you think of how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life to lifting people out of poverty. Here we are, 81 years after his birth, and his home region is challenged by schools where students from economically disadvantaged homes are the norm. True, the South has changed immensely since Dr. King led civil rights marches. African-Americans especially hold many positions of leadership in politics, commerce and culture. But exams like the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that poor, minority students are at risk of being left behind their affluent Anglo peers. That's the point former Education Secretary Rod Paige, who once led Houston's school district, and his sister, educator Elaine Witty, make in their forthcoming book, "The Black-White Achievement Gap: Why Closing It is the Greatest Civil Rights Issue of our Time." Indeed, education is the central civil rights issue of our time. But ensuring that poor, minority students are achieving academically is complicated. Educators like Raymund Paredes, Texas' higher education commissioner, spend much of their time determining how to close the "achievement gap." Here are proven strategies for school districts to pursue: 1. Develop strong middle schools so struggling students don't drop out once they reach high school. Latino dropout rates especially are worrisome. 2. Create quality early reading programs so all children can start reading at grade level at a young age. 3. Train principals to become strong leaders. Students are lost without principals who press their students to achieve, use data to figure out how to improve student progress and stay abreast of the best research. But educators aren't the only ones who can help close this gap. Parents bear a big part of the responsibility. This year, as part of the Morning News' project to close the social and economic gap between Dallas' northern and southern halves, our editorial board will highlight how parents can help their children by being involved in their education. They're particularly needed in the crucial middle and high school years, where students can steer off course. Fortunately, there are ways to meet this demographic challenge. But we all have a stake in the result. As Dr. King warned, so go the least of us, so goes America.  Comments (0) Leave comment
|  E-mail entryThe entry "What Would King Say?" is tagged: achievement gap |
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