No Achievement Gap Committee meeting this week. But at a recent Minnesota Meeting, two education experts discussed what Minnesota can do to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color.
Kati Haycock, president of Education Trust, an organization based in Washington, D.C. that advocates for young people, especially those who are poor or members of minority groups. She lists 6 requirements to reduce the gap:
1. More teacher support
2. Measure teachers by their students gain
3. Neediest kids get the strongest teachers
4. Raise sights for all children - rigorous set of high school courses
5. Dollars intended for poor children must follow those students to the school level
6. Demand quality and results
Rudy Crew, former supt for NYC and Miami schools and author: "Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools."
1. In every school a high degree of human caring
2. A higher level of expectations
3. A variety of strategies - a repertoire - used to reach students
4. Schools governed toward an institutional culture that is demanding and that reaches and engages the parents
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