Forty-five Years after Title VI, Achievement Gap Still Too Large

July 2 marked the 45^th anniversary of the enactment of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in public schools. By banning discrimination in our schools, Title VI extends the basic democratic right of a quality public education to all children. While celebrating this important milestone, we must commit to working even harder to ensure that all children are prepared for college and the workplace.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) the national achievement gap between black and white 17-year-olds is 29 points in reading and 26 points in math – these gaps are estimated to be the equivalent of approximately three school years.

Read more from the U.S. Department of Education.

Delaware Recognized for Narrowing Achievement Gap

While nationally the achievement gap remains large, Delaware has made some strides toward closing the disparities between white and black students. According to a recent national report, both African-American and white students in Delaware have made substantial gains in reading in recent years, and the performance gap among student groups has started to close. Specifically, the gap between black and white fourth graders in reading in Delaware in 2009 was seven points smaller than the national average, and the gap among eighth graders was three points smaller.

While our state can be proud of this progress, our achievement gap is still too large. For example, in reading—an area where Delaware is a national leader in closing the gap—white students still outscore black students by 20 percentage points. And only 33 percent of all Delaware students overall are proficient in reading by national standards (as reported by NAEP).

Did You Know?

Of the 195 public schools for which accountability ratings were calculated this year:

• 83 (or 42%) have been rated "Superior"
• 34 (or 17%) have been rated "Commendable"
• 28 (or 14%) have been rated "Academic Review"
• 17 (or 9%) have been rated "Academic Progress - Under Improvement"
• 33 schools (or 17%) have been rated "Academic Watch - Under Improvement"

Source: Delaware Department of Education

Find what these terms mean and how your school was ranked here.

Contact

To get the latest information on how to become involved with Vision 2015, please visit our web site, http://www.vision2015delaware.org, or e-mail us at info@vision2015delaware.org.

More Support Needed for

Under-Performing Schools

In late July, the Delaware Department of Education released 2009 school accountability ratings for 195 district and charter schools statewide. Overall, Delaware public schools have made no significant gains toward their adequate yearly progress targets since 2006, although there are some individual schools that show marked improvements. Read more in coverage from The News Journal.

Of increasing concern is the fact that under the federal No Child Left Behind law, Delaware’s state testing goals will increase substantially each year between 2010 and 2014. If Delaware is to meet its goals, the number of students scoring "proficient" on the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) must increase by 10% this year, and by 40% by 2014. (Learn more about statewide DSTP results.)

Meeting these substantial increases will be a tall order, requiring a concerted effort by stakeholders to provide intensive support to chronically under-performing schools. Meeting this challenge will also keep Delaware aligned with federal priorities; U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has called on states to aggressively turn around the bottom five percent of low-performing schools. Read more about this challenge and the opportunities it affords.

VISION-aries

“Our schools face the challenge of preparing students to compete in a global marketplace, and yet we still need to work on the fundamentals like making sure more kids graduate on time.... We may never again have such an opportunity to make the changes that will make Delaware an even better place to live--not just for ourselves, but for our children and our children’s children.”

- Governor Jack Markell in his acceptance speech November 4, 2008

Spotlight: New Leaders in Delaware School Districts

When Delaware schools officially reopen their doors this fall for the 2009-2010 school year, three school districts will welcome new superintendents – Merv Daugherty is the new superintendent for Red Clay Consolidated School District, promoted from assistant superintendent; Sharon G. Kanter, formerly a regional superintendent with the Baltimore City School District, is leading the Milford School District; and Marcia V. Lyles, former deputy chancellor for teaching and learning for the New York City Department of Education, has joined the Christina School District.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to these new leaders – we look forward to working with you!

Read more:

• "Daugherty gets Red Clay talking," The News Journal
• "New Milford superintendent takes office," Milford Beacon
• "District leader goes to school," The News Journal