IT
IT IS
IT IS A
IT IS A VERY OLD PROBLEM AND IT'S NOT GETTING ANY BETTER. THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN
WHITE AND ASIAN STUDENTS AND
BLACK AND HISPANIC STUDENTS
CONTINUE TO WIDEN.
NELSON GARCIA CONTINUES OUR
DISPARITY IN COLORADO SERIES
WITH A LOOK AT THE POSSIBLE
REASONS WHY AND SOME SOLUTIONS
THEY MAY NOT.
AN OCTOPI IS AN OCTOPI INSIDE
OF CLASSROOMS ACROSS COLORADO.
PAM HERMhS WAS ALREADY THINKING
OUT ANOTHER OF THE GODS
TEACHERS LIKE JESSICA SHAGALSKI
FACE A STRUGGLE THAT SHE SAYS
BEGINS OUTSIDE OF CLASSROOMS.
DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY MEAN, WE
DO OUR BEST AND CATER TO THEIR
NEEDS.
SO THIS IS A PLACE WHERE
FAMILIES CAN COME SHOP.
MELODY MEANS IS THE DEAN
OF CULTURE AT WYATT ACADEMY IN
DENVER WHERE A CLOTHING
BOUTIQUE IN THE CITY'S OLDEST
SCHOOL BUILDING MAY HELP TACKLE
THE NATION'S AGE OLD PROBLEM
CALLED THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
KIDS OF COLOR AREN'T ACHIEVING
AT A SLOWER RATE THAN KIDS THAT
ARE NOT OF COLOR.
QUESTION SO FAR.
ON AVERAGE, BLACK AND HISPANIC
STUDENTS SCORE LOWER THAN
WHITES AND ASIAN STUDENTS LOOK
AT THIS ONE AND STATE
STANDARDIZED TESTS SHOW
THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE.
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE TEACHING
US I DON'T THINK TRULY
UNDERSTAND AND PEOPLE OF COLOR
.
IN 2004 MORE THAN HALF
OF HISPANICS STUDENTS AND 60
PERCENT OF BLACK STUDENTS IN
COLORADO WERE PROFICIENT OR
BETTER IN READING COMPARED TO
ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF WHITE
STUDENTS IN 2019.
TEST RESULTS SHOW THAT BLACK
AND LATINO STUDENTS ARE DOWN TO
25 PERCENT WITH EXPECTED
READING SKILLS WITH WHITE
STUDENTS DOUBLING THOSE SCORES.
WIDENING THE GAP PEOPLE ARE
STARTING TO ASK THE TOUGH
QUESTIONS WHY IS THIS HAPPENING
AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO START
REALLY BEING SERIOUS ABOUT
CLOSING THESE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS?
DR. DAN JESSE IS A PRINCIPAL
ANALYST WITH METROPOLITAN STATE
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER AND ITS
WESTERN EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
ASSISTANCE CENTER STUDY
THE REASONS WHY THE ACHIEVEMENT
GAP HAS EXISTED OVER TIME.
IT'S THE SYSTEMIC RACISM
SYSTEM.
YOU CANNOT GROW UP IN AMERICA
AND NOT BE RACIST AND SEXIST,
HE SAYS.
SOCIETY HAS FORCED MINORITIES
TO MAKE UP A LARGE PART OF THE
LOW INCOME POPULATION AND
POVERTY IS A HUGE FACTOR WHEN
IT COMES TO LEARNING.
EQUITY IS SUCH A COMPLICATED
ISSUE AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S BEEN
WITH US FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
IF YOU REALLY GO BACK AND LOOK
AT WHAT'S GOING ON THERE THAT
ACE HIMSELF WHITE ACADEMY IS 90
PERCENT MINORITY AND 90 PERCENT
LOW INCOME MEANS SAYS IN
THE NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND WHITE
RACE AND POVERTY ARE TIED
TOGETHER.
IT'S TOO BAD THAT IT IS BUT IT
IS THEY THEY GO HAND HERE AND
THAT'S WHY MEANS AND WHY IT
ACADEMY HAVE THIS CLOTHING
BOUTIQUE.
SO YEAH.
DOES IT HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON
ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
FAMILIES CAN COME IN HERE AND
PICK UP CLOTHES FOR FREE.
THEY CAN ALSO COME TO SCHOOL
AND DO LAUNDRY OR PICK UP FOOD
IF THEY'RE HUNGRY WAYS THAT
MEANS BELIEFS CAN TAKE CARE OF
CONCERNS OUTSIDE OF CLASSROOMS.
SO HISPANIC AND BLACK KIDS IN
I CAN DO BETTER INSIDE
OF CLASSROOMS.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO MEET
THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS AT
WHITE ACADEMY.
THIS IS WHY WE'RE CLOSING
THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
SHE'S ALSO CREATING INDIVIDUAL
LEARNING PROFILES AND
SUPPORTING TEACHERS TO DEVELOP
BETTER WAYS OF TEACHING KIDS
OF COLOR.
SO I WILL GO IN AND TALK TO HER
AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU'RE TEACHING AND ABOUT YOUR
STUDENTS LAST YEAR WHY IT MEANS
SAYS THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
CONTINUES TO SHRINK WITH
HISPANIC STUDENTS AND ALL LOW
INCOME STUDENTS BEATING
THE STATE AVERAGE IN MATH
SCORES.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT FOR STUDENTS
TO TRUST US , THEIR FAMILIES
HAVE TO TRUST US EVERYTHING
THAT WE DO AS A STAFF.
EVERYTHING THAT WE DO TOGETHER
TO WORK WITH OUR STUDENTS IS
GOING TO GET THEM TO TO CLOSE
THAT GAP TO REACH THE LEVEL
THAT THEY NEED TO BE.
BUT CAN THIS WORK AT EVERY
SCHOOL?
JESSIE SAYS YES, BUT IT'S
DIFFICULT.
I THINK PEOPLE DO TEND TO GET
BURNED OUT BY THAT AND IT'S
BIGGER DISTRICTS.
YOU'LL SEE THAT QUITE OFTEN.
SO THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT
EDUCATION IS TRYING SOMETHING
ELSE BY MAKING SURE THAT ALL
COLORADO CHILDREN HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN IN A
REALLY HIGH QUALITY
ENVIRONMENT.
WE THINK THAT THAT GAP CAN
CLOSE.
MELISSA COLSMAN IS
THE ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR
STUDENT LEARNING.
STATE LEGISLATORS HAVE
COMMITTED AROUND 33 MILLION
DOLLARS A YEAR TO SUPPORT
TEACHERS IN TRYING TO HELP ALL
KIDS READ AT GRADE LEVEL BY
THIRD GRADE THROUGH A LAW
CALLED THE READ ACT.
IT'S OFTEN SAID THAT IN GRADES
K THROUGH THREE KIDS ARE
LEARNING TO READ AND AFTER THAT
KIDS READING TO LEARN.
TELL ME WHY.
TABLE OF CONTENTS IS IMPORTANT
AND ABOVE COLSMAN CALLS THIRD
GRADE READING A CRITICAL
MILESTONE THAT CAN SOLVE
THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP BEFORE IT
STARTS.
THINK ABOUT THIS AS A GRAPH.
IF THIS IS A STUDENTS
PERFORMANCE THAT'S BELOW GRADE
LEVEL AND HERE'S THEIR GRADE
LEVEL PEER THE GAP GETS BIGGER
AS KIDS GET OLDER.
SHE SAYS KIDS BEHIND READING AT
THIRD GRADE ARE FOUR TIMES MORE
LIKELY TO DROP OUT OF HIGH
SCHOOL.
SO NOT HAVING THOSE
FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS IN PLACE.
PUT CHILDREN AT A DISADVANTAGE
IN EVERY SUBJECT AREA A HIGH A
OUT.
THAT'S WHY SHAGALSKI HOPES
THE WORK SHE'S DOING IN SECOND
GRADE IN READING.
SO WHICH ONE IS RETILMENOT CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
IN THIRD GRADE AND BEYOND.
WE'RE ALREADY STARTING TO GET
THERE.
WE'VE MADE BIG A LOT
OF PROGRESS IN THE SCHOOL AND
I THINK IT'S GOING TO KEEP
GOING UPWARD INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
THE CLASSROOM.
WE'RE PLANTING SEEDS IN DENVER.
NELSON GARCIA NINE STORIES BUT
THE REID ACT ORIGINALLY PASSED
IN 2012 BUT IT WAS UPDATED IN
2019 WITH UNANIMOUS BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT.