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Clear academic goals, a rigorous curriculum and extra instructional time for students who are falling behind are ways to narrow the gap in achievement between poor or minority children and their higher-income white counterparts, according to the keynote speaker at a statewide education conference held Friday, April 26, in Clayton Hall.
But, added Kati Haycock, director of the national Education Trust, “Teachers matter more than anything else.”
The conference, which focused on ways to close the achievement gap in Delaware schools, drew an audience of state education officials, teachers, administrators and community and business leaders. It was organized by the UD Education Research and Development Center, which is part of the University’s School of Education.
Audrey Noble, director of the center, discussed research showing that poor, African-American and Hispanic students in Delaware score significantly lower on standardized state tests than their classmates do. She also highlighted eight Delaware schools that are successfully closing that gap, while in other schools, the gap has remained unchanged or even widened in recent years.
Despite these findings, Noble said, a recent public opinion poll conducted by the center found that only 39 percent of Delawareans recognized that such an achievement gap exists.
Haycock called for a commitment to high expectations for poor and minority students, as well as an investment in focused, intensive professional development and peer coaching for teachers nationwide. Research done by the Education Trust demonstrates, she said, “If we teach kids at high levels, if we provide them with the support they need, then they absolutely can achieve.”
April 26, 2002
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