With the advent of the information society the marketplace has clearly stated that low skill workers are not marketable. Many of the students who will find themselves unemployed or underemployed will be low income and minority students. The purpose for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was to make all public schools accountable and transparent and close the gap as it relates to student achievement. However, statistics after statistics demonstrate that low income and minority students are still lagging behind. If we do not solve this problem, the
United States
will participate in a precipitate fall of its great democracy.
In order to solve this problem, we must realize that low income and minority students are valuable and unique individuals. Schools that serve this demographic must not be in the business of recycling underachievers but must develop and implement a plan of action to ensure achievement for all students. The first step is to develop a common mission, vision, belief and goal statements. The development of this plan is to include all stakeholders to gain input and ownership of all members involved. If the statements are conveyed top-down, the ownership is limited to the persons at the top making the statements null and void. The next step is to create standard based classrooms to ensure that all teaching and learning is based on research based best practices. This process will provide professional learning opportunities for all teachers to learn, demonstrate and analyze how these teaching practices enhanced student achievement. Professional Learning must be provided to teachers at least twice a month to monitor the effectiveness and success of the program.
The third component is to have high expectation for all students. We must embrace this behavior by using the term “our” students instead of “these” and/or “those” students. We must believe with our heart and mind that our students can learn and will compete in all expect of the learning process. Our school and students must be measured, in addition to testing, to the number of participates entering projects into the science fair, social science fair, art fair, technology fair and competing in the music festival, debate team competition, beta club and athletic competition. This process will develop a student body that embraces high level learning that promote our students from basic skill to knowledge base achievers.
Parents and community cannot sit on the side line and throw rocks at the parade. Parents must actively engage themselves by providing a learning station in the home. A learning station can be the kitchen table for it provides a public access for parents and guardians to assist and review the learning experience. In addition, parents are to meet their child’s teachers and maintain a positive, open and honest line of communication. Moreover, review your child’s progress report each grading period to check for understanding. Lastly, make sure to make reading apart of the home environment by getting and using a library card and reading with your child daily. Organizations that serve students such as the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, day care centers and religious organizations and community centers are to develop meaningful partnership with the school to provide students with additional opportunities to learn and grow.
We cannot continue to talk about the achievement gap but we must develop, design and implement a plan of action. I know this plan can work for I help create and carry out this plan at my school and we have experience tremendous success for the past five years. Our plan is rooted in the principles of reasoning, honesty and love and this is why our plan continues to be successful.
