69传媒

Student Achievement

N.Y. 69传媒 Chief Unveils Achievement-Gap Agenda

By David J. Hoff 鈥 November 08, 2005 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

New York is making progress in closing the achievement gap between most minority and white students, but not fast enough, the state鈥檚 education leaders say.

Last week, the state commissioner of education convened an array of officials鈥攊ncluding representatives of K-12 and higher education, libraries, and public television鈥攖o outline his agenda to further narrow the gap in test scores, high school graduation rates, and college- enrollment rates.

鈥淭oo many children begin life disadvantaged, attend poor schools, learn little, drop out in school or in college, and wind up at the margins in low-skill, low-paying jobs,鈥 Commissioner Richard P. Mills wrote in a statement outlining the agenda for the Nov. 2 event in Albany. 鈥淲e have made progress in closing the gap, but not enough. 鈥 Both research and our progress so far show that people can achieve at much higher levels.鈥

At the conference, Mr. Mills outlined a three-part agenda to improve children鈥檚 readiness for kindergarten, raise high school graduation rates, and make college affordable and accessible to all high school graduates. The agenda grew out of 11 regional meetings held throughout the state during the past year.

While most states have addressed the test-score gaps between generally lower-achieving black and Hispanic students and their typically higher-scoring white peers, none has taken such a comprehensive approach to the efforts as New York, said Kati Haycock, the director of the Education Trust. The Washington-based research and advocacy group promotes better schooling for minority and disadvantaged children.

鈥淭his is very interesting,鈥 Ms. Haycock, who spoke at the event, said in an interview last week, referring to New York鈥檚 effort. 鈥淭his is the first time I鈥檝e seen a state come after it in quite this way.鈥

Then again, New York鈥檚 top education official has a uniquely powerful post among state schools chiefs.

Mr. Mills has more authority to oversee a comprehensive agenda than his colleagues in other states because he enforces the policies that govern New York鈥檚 public universities and colleges, libraries, museums, and public-broadcasting networks, not just its precollegiate schools.

Promising Progress

New York, like the nation overall, has made some progress in closing the test-score gaps between minority and white students. For example, the gap between New York鈥檚 Hispanic and white students on the 4th grade reading exam of the National Assessment of Educational Progress fell from 42 points in 1992 to 24 points in 2005, on a 500-point scale. But the state made much smaller gains in closing the 4th grade reading gap between African-Americans and whites, which decreased slightly, from 27 points in 1992 to 25 points this year.

In addition to representatives from all sections of the state education department, business leaders and community service officials attended the event held last week.

The agenda outlined would use all those sections of the agency and encourage other professions in state and local governments as well as the private sector to contribute.

The list of 鈥渒ey actions鈥 under the agenda, for example, suggests that public TV, museums, and libraries run educational programs to help children acquire literacy skills before kindergarten.

Separately, the list says that colleges and universities should target academic support for minority students who are likely to drop out before earning a degree.

Other professions, such as health care, can also play important roles in his agenda, Mr. Mills said. Doctors and nurses, for example, are 鈥渢he first line鈥 of education for parents about prenatal and infant care, he said, as well as the people who can best refer parents to the early educational opportunities available to their children.

A version of this article appeared in the November 09, 2005 edition of Education Week as N.Y. 69传媒 Chief Unveils Achievement-Gap Agenda

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on MTSS
This Spotlight explores key aspects of MTSS implementation, including its relationship to special education and effectiveness in improving student outcomes.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Whitepaper
Progress Monitoring: Resources to Support Student Growth
Use the resources in this toolkit to increase your team's confidence in analyzing progress monitoring data and determining if an interven...
Content provided by Renaissance
Student Achievement This District Provided Tutoring to Thousands of 69传媒. The Results Were Mixed
A new study suggests that tutoring at scale could have a smaller impact than advocates had hoped.
6 min read
Waist-up view of early 30s teacher sitting with 11 year old Hispanic student at library round table and holding book as she pronounces the words.
E+
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Whitepaper
The Ultimate High-Impact Tutoring Guide
Struggling to improve early literacy rates in your school? Download our free guide and discover how OnYourMark's evidence-based virtual t...
Content provided by OnYourMark