Schools chief aims at academic 'gap'
Sacramento Bee 2/7/07
In his annual "State of Education in California" speech, O'Connell said he will direct a committee of some 50 education, business and community leaders "to look at the root cause of why the gap exists" and propose solutions.
O'Connell said the work of the committee, an existing panel known as the P-16 Council, will then set the agenda for a November educational summit that will bring together school officials from across California.
Calling for "an honest discussion, a courageous discussion," O'Connell said he wants to identify and address academic needs of low-income and -- in particular -- Latino and African American students.
"There are plenty of people ... who say the 'achievement gap' will never be closed," O'Connell said in his Sacramento address.
Yet he assailed "cynics" for believing that "students who are poor" or "are learning the English language" or facing family "and neighborhood challenges" can't "reach the academic level of those who have no such burdens."
"I refuse to accept that assumption," O'Connell said.
He said the state educational system should seek high, uniform standards for student achievement. Yet he also called for new teaching models to target diverse needs of students from different ethnic groups and income levels.
"When we see significant groups of students falling short of the goal of proficiency we hold for all students, we must act," he said.
Illustrating California's diverse student population and challenges, O'Connell said an average 32-student fourth-grade class in California would now include 16 Latinos, nine whites, three Asians, three African Americans and one Filipino.
Out of such a class, he said 13 students would speak a language other than English at home, 16 would be low-income and three would have developmental or physical disabilities.
Based on statewide academic performance data, he said, nearly all the Asian and Filipino students would go on to earn a high school diploma -- but six of the 16 Latino students, one-third of the African Americans and two of the nine whites would fail to graduate.
"Yes, this class is imaginary," O'Connell said. "But the disparities are real. This is the achievement gap."
O'Connell said schools for too long "simply warehoused" many struggling students into vocational education programs that all but eliminated a chance at college. He said high school career programs should be upgraded to require "mathematics and communications skills" and college-prep coursework.
He also said he would work to expand the state's network of career development schools -- called California Partnership Academies -- from 290 schools to 500.
And he asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature to approve a $32 million data-gathering program to measure student achievement as a means "to support and improve instruction in the classroom."
In a statement later Tuesday, the governor said "closing the achievement gap ... should be a priority for everyone.
"Every child deserves a quality education, and that is why I look forward to working with state Superintendent O'Connell to make further improvements for public schools."
O'Connell's speech echoed themes supported by the California Teachers Association, which settled a lawsuit against Schwarzenegger over the governor's failure to fully fund schools in 2005.
Schwarzenegger signed legislation -- Senate Bill 1133 -- that will restore $2.9 billion in state education funding over the next seven years. Much of the money will be directed for smaller class sizes, additional counselors and other resources targeting the state's lowest-performing schools, including many with high concentrations of poor or minority students.
"Jack (O'Connell) believes that all students can learn, and we certainly agree with him on that," CTA President Barbara Kerr said Tuesday.
But O'Connell's speech was criticized in a statement from a business group pushing for improved education standards.
Jim Lanich, president of California Business for Education, said O'Connell should junk the state's current Academic Performance Index -- which measures academic achievement by school -- in favor of a measure to target the "achievement gap" of individual students by grade level.
Until then, he said, "we are failing to address ... the greatest civil rights issue of our time."