Schools are closing the achievement gap between white and minority students at the elementary level, but more work in high schools needs to be done, the keynote speaker at the Policy and Practice Institute told a crowd of Delaware educators June 25.
   
Kati Haycock, director of The Education Trust in Washington D.C., stated that after more than a decade of stagnant or growing gaps, progress is being made, with a great deal of progress taking place in Delaware.
 
   Delaware came in as the top state for testing score gains for black, Latino and poor students in fourth and eighth grade reading, she said. It also had the second highest average black and Latino scores in fourth grade reading, although scores were lower for math and writing.
 
   At the same time, Haycock said on a national level the high school achievement gap is wider today than it was in 1990, something she said high school educators are “painfully aware of.”
  
  “Some might think it’s obvious, hormones are raging, iPods are going…” she said.
 
   However, when taking a look at other countries, the United States suffers by comparison, and teenagers in other countries have the same hormones, Haycock said.
  
  Although the United States spends more than many countries on education, it doesn’t rank high on an international level. Haycock said a 2003 survey found the United States ranked 24th out of 29 countries for mathematics, adding that the problems aren’t just limited to high-poverty and high-minority schools or immigrants.
  
  Other subjects, such as science, have the similar results. Haycock said even in problem solving – something Americans consider a strength – the U.S.  ranked 24 out of 29 countries.
 
   In fact, the only measure where America ranks high is in inequality.

    Haycock also said many of the nation’s achievement gaps occur even before students step into their classrooms. Policy makers give districts with the worst performing students less money, lower performing students are assigned to the more ineffective teachers and students in poor schools receive ‘A’s for work that would earn ‘C’s in affluent schools, she noted as some examples.
 
   Despite this, educators need to fight the idea that nothing can be done, Haycock said, giving examples of schools, including Frankford Elementary in Sussex County, as well as in New York, Kansas and Georgia, where black, Latino and low-income students are some of the highest performers.
 
   “Don’t let anyone tell you what schools do doesn’t matter,” she said.
   
    When comparing low-income African American students in large cities across the country, Haycock pointed out there is a difference of up to two grade levels among the students.
   
    Finally she gave some advice for how school leaders can help make a difference by focusing on what can be done, being team leaders rather than just tackling a problem with only their own personality, having detailed, methodical planning and understanding how important teachers are to the solution.

    As for outside leaders in the community, Haycock had some advice for them as well – be supportive.

    “Keep your voices strong and stand up for what’s right for the kids,” she said.
 
   Caesar Rodney Superintendent Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald who attended the Policy and Practice Institute called Haycock’s talk “eye-opening” and said as a former high school principal and superintendent it’s always surprising when the data doesn’t reflect what he expects.
 
   “It causes you to definitely rethink attitudes toward high school and the job we’re doing at that level,” he said. “I’ve always felt we’re very competitive with other countries, but when you take all of the other factors out, our students are not performing at a high enough level.”

Email Jayne Gest at jaynegest@doverpost.com