(NAME-MCE) Achievement Gap on Reading Reseach and solutions

[Nomsa Geleta]

I need help with research on the achievement gap on reading and
solutions.  If anyone could direct me to good research in particular
focusing on students from underrepresented populations I would
appreciate it. 

Thanks


Dr. Nomsa E. Geleta
Chair, Department of Education Specialties
Seidel School of Education & Professional Studies
Salisbury University
1101 Camden Avenue
Salisbury, MD 21801
Phone:  410-543-6297
Email:  negeleta at salisbury.edu

>>> "Bill Howe" <bill at billhowe.org> 11/19/07 8:46 AM >>>


http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2007/11/californias_ach.html 


California's Achievement Gap Needs Solutions Based on the Problem
 By Duane Campbell


The California Department of Education and Superintendent Jack
O'Connell
organized a Achievement Gap Summit in Sacramento on November 13 and
14,
drawing over 4000 educators and policy advocates for a two day
conference.
The presentations began with some basic facts; California student
achievement is among the lowest in the nation and it is not improving.
The
California drop out rate is horrible. Any reasonable look at the
evidence
reveals this.

For over a decade, California and the nation have used one strategy
for
school; standards and test based accountability. The evidence is in.
There
has been little or no progress on reading scores and only limited
progress
in math. The summit focused on the gap in scores between White
students,
Black students and Latino students.
Here is a part of the problem. This summit was plush with consultants
and
policy advocates and very light on teachers as presenters and people
who do
the work in schools. You can not reform schools without bringing
teachers
along in the reform. Teachers make up the largest resource in the
school.
California has 14 years of standards based reform and 14 years of test
based
reform.
Remember the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and
over
again and expecting different results.
That is not to say that the $1 million expense was wasted. There were
some
definite positives. A wide variety of educational professionals
recognize
the crisis of public schools in California. The CDE provided a diverse
group
of presenters, so teachers and others looking for solutions were often
able
to find worthwhile presentations. There was recognition of some of the
basic
needs to resolve the achievement gap; multicultural education,
language
support for English language learners, and the approaches now termed
culturally appropriate or culturally responsive pedagogy.
There were also some of the chronic problems revealed. If you want to
improve the schools you really are going to have to spend some real
money.
California ranks about 37 in per pupil expenditures, and about 47 in
reading. School reform will cost money. The governor and the
legislature
continue to avoid this reality. Although a real start was made last
year in
the Quality Education Investment Act sponsored by the California
Teachers
Association, the current budget situation for next year makes getting
desperately needed funds to urban failing schools unlikely. Richard
Rothstein spoke to the resources failure in schools. Lack of resources
is a
political failure.
A second problem dominant at the summit was the large number of policy
advocates who each have an answer without first defining what the
problem
is. There are a number of salesmen of ideas, consulting services,
testing
packages, and curriculum packages, with little or no comprehension of
the
working realities of teachers.
It was more than a little interesting to hear that Superintendent
O'Connell
and his staff are taking a seminar on race and privilege from featured
speaker Glenn Singleton. That may be beneficial. Certainly a major part
of
the problem lies with leadership – or lack of leadership- from
elected and
appointed officials.
One of the puzzling issues; policy advocates and conferences
frequently
debate whether th
e school issues are issues of race or class. What a
strange
debate.
They are – of course- both race and class.
Teachers, particularly new teachers in difficult schools, need support
in
creating a positive productive classroom environment. This requires
resources, time, support networks, and sufficient counselors in the
schools.
(California ranks 49 out of the 50 states in counselors per student)
And,
they need coaches who are successful teachers and experts in helping
kids
such as English Language learners. New teachers have few of these.
Instead
they enter a failing system, try to do well, get frustrated, fail more,
and
become less effective and more defensive. Teachers need a positive
work
environment to produce a positive learning environment for kids. Few
teachers in urban schools have a positive work environment.
The Achievement Gap Summit has spurred some blog commentary on the
problems
of the schools. The letters to the Sacramento Bee were mostly people
responding with their solutions to the school crisis without listening
to
the problems.
I have a solution, now where is the problem? It is interesting how
many
people who do not work in schools know precisely what is needed to
improve
them; or you just need high expectations, or phonics, or English
immersion,
and on and on. I wish that these folks would go work in a school for a
couple of weeks.
I am certainly pleased that the Superintendent hosted the event and
that I
attended. Now comes the hard part. Making something positive happen for
kids
in schools. I have written an entire book on this; Choosing Democracy:
a
practical guide to multicultural education. ( Merrill/Prentice Hall.
2004)
Duane Campbell is a Professor of Education at Cal State University
Sacramento and blogs at Choosing Democracy on major issues facing our
democracy with a focus on public schooling.

-- 
Bill Howe
http://www.billhowe.org 
Travel to China - June 1-14, 2008 - Teachers & Health Care
Professionals -
http://www.billhowe.org/China2008.htm 
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