Is there an Achievement Gap Industry?

In looking at the latest report out of OSPI
A PLAN TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS


I am beginning to think that there is actually little interest in Closing the Achievement gap but lots of interest in generating reports.

you can find a .pdf of the report linked from this page.
http://www.k12.wa.us/Communications/pressreleases2009/AchieveGapReport.aspx

Below you will find the Seven Experts listed from Appendix C. (seemingly no math connections here)

In the fall of 2008 I went and listened to Expert Dr. Paul Riuz at the WaMu center in Federal Way. His premise was that the achievement Gap could be closed by putting the correct goals in place. He stated that Superintendents and education administrators were sharp folks and they would find a way to meet the goals if they were in place.

I asked the third question:
Dr. Ruiz, I see no evidence that goals are realized by Superintendent's programs. The SPS has had a goal to narrow the achievement Gap and in math in the SPS the achievement gap has continually expanded over the last decade. The poor math curriculum is a major part of this problem.

Dr. Ruiz informed me that yes that could be true but curriculum was not the subject of his presentation.

How can closing the achievement gap be the topic and the curriculum not be a part? .. this report seems to have missed the curriculum component in the Achievement gap as well.

I also attended the community meeting at Cleveland High School,which is mentioned in the report. I raised a point that school improvement is related to curricular improvement and that the math curriculum pushed by OSPI over the last decade certainly had a hand in the current achievement gap. [The final report seems to have missed that fact.]

Also listed as an Expert is former superintendent of Clover Park SD Dr. Doris McEwen Harris. Over the last decade the CPSD has perhaps the worst math performance in the state. CPSD were early adopters of TERC/Investigations and Connected Math.
By what stretch of the imagination is the former CPSD Superintendent an expert, in regard to closing the achievement gap?

Also listed as an Expert is the Federal Way Superintendent. FW math results for African Americans are a disaster.

If you read through this paper on closing the achievement gap you will notice that it is absent any mention of math curricular recommendations. To solve a problem it would be good to investigate all of its causes.

Poor math textbooks are a significant part of the achievement gap but those who selected these defective materials for our children are not about to admit it. This seriously impacts the usefulness of this report in closing the achievement gap.

The legislature spent $150,000 on this report. The production employed a lot of people but I think this document looks more like a menu to spend lots of dollars than a plan to make current schools more effective.

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The 7 Expert Consultants

DR. JAMES ANDERSON
Dr. Anderson is Gutgsell Professor and head of Educational Policy Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign. An expert in educational history, Dr. Anderson’s scholarship and teaching explore and interrogate the institutional policy and intellectual trajectory of education in the United States. His in-depth and wide-ranging work examines crucial themes, including the history of African Americans in education in the American. Dr. Anderson is the author of several books and serves a keynote speaker on the achievement gap for African American students.

DR. RONALD FERGUSON
Dr. Ferguson is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained economist whose three decades of work has focused on economic, social and educational challenges in urban America, with particular focus on issues of racial and ethnic inequality. For the past decade, Dr. Ferguson’s research at Harvard
University has focused on racial achievement gaps, and has appeared in publications of the National Research Council, the Brookings Institution, the U.S. Department of Education, the Educational Research Service and various other books and journals. He is the creator and director of the Tripod Project for school improvement and the faculty co-chair and director of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard (www.agi.harvard.edu).

DR. GENEVA GAY
As Professor of Education at the University of Washington-Seattle, Dr. Gay teaches multicultural education and general curriculum theory. She is nationally and internationally known for her scholarship in multicultural education, particularly as it relates to curriculum design, staff development, classroom instruction and intersections of culture, race, ethnicity, teaching, and learning. Her writings include numerous articles and book chapters. Her professional service includes membership on several national editorial review and advisory boards. International consultations on multicultural education have taken her to Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, Finland, Japan, England, Scotland, Australia and Benin.

DR. KAREN L. MAPP
Dr. Mapp, a Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has research and practice expertise in educational leadership and educational partnerships among schools, families and community members. Dr. Mapp is the author of a number of books, including the most recent book on family engagement, Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family- School Partnerships. Dr. Mapp is a favored keynote speaker on issues of parent engagement and developing effective family-school partnerships, with particular interest to communities in poverty and communities whose primary members are people of color.

TOM MURPHY
Since January 2000, Tom Murphy has been the superintendent of the Federal Way Public Schools, the third largest school district in the Puget Sound region. Superintendent Murphy believes that in education, “All Truly Means All”: that all children in Federal Way schools deserve equal access to a quality education that prepares them for productive, meaningful lives. His steadfast resolve has inspired teachers, staff, parents and the community to work together to maximize each student’s growth. These efforts have put FWPS ahead of the curve in work to close the achievement gap and increase student success. (who fact check this statement?)

DR. DORIS McEWEN HARRIS
Dr. McEwen Harris served as the superintendent for Clover Park School District from July 2000 until 2008, when she resigned to accept a Distinguished P-12 Educator position at the University of Washington in Seattle. At the UW, Dr. McEwen Harris’ duties include coordinating the program’s community college partnership, overseeing the Zesbaugh Scholars initiative that supports economically disadvantaged students interested in teaching, and working with superintendents, principals and other school leaders to improve teaching and learning. In addition to this work, she speaks at conferences around the state about the achievement gap, with particular emphasis on working with African American students.

DR. PAUL RUIZ
Dr. Ruiz is senior advisor and co-founder of the Education Trust, Inc., and is recognized for his proven ability and extensive knowledge in guiding and helping schools and school districts in their efforts to improve academic achievement and close gaps. He has devoted more than 35 years of professional and advocacy work to the education success of all students. Working from San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Ruiz promotes high academic standards for all students at all levels, especially in schools and colleges serving large concentrations of low income and/or African American, Latino and Native American students.