Closing The Achievement Gap in Worcester Public Schools

By Blenda J. Wilson

“A national tragedy that can no longer be ignored.” That is how one author has described the sizable disparity in educational performance between African-American and Latino students and their white and Asian-American peers.

Educators, policymakers and scholars of all political persuasions agree that the minority achievement gap threatens our nation’s future and economic well-being. Even though the achievement gap is a complex problem that defies easy explanations and resists easy solutions, a growing national consensus asserts the urgent need to address the disparity.

Here in Central Massachusetts, the minority achievement gap has gained increased attention as the school population has become more diverse. In 2002-03, Worcester became a “majority minority” district for the first time. Other area communities have also experienced sharp increases in their minority student populations - from Fitchburg (46%) to Southbridge (38%), Framingham (30%) and Marlboro (26%).

In all of these districts, African-American and Latino students lag behind their white and Asian-American peers on a variety of academic measurements, including MCAS scores, SAT scores, high school graduation and college matriculation rates.

In Worcester, for example, Latino 10th-graders who took the Spring 2003 MCAS test failed the English portion of the test at twice the rate of the white students who took the same test (35% vs. 18%). White 10th-graders who took the Spring 2003 test were four times more likely than their Latino or African-American peers to score in the "advanced" category (13% vs. 2-3% for English, and 16% vs. 4% for Math).

These results do not reflect the percentage of students who pass the MCAS after several attempts. However, despite the massive state investment in education reform and the efforts of talented and determined school leaders like Worcester’s Jim Caradonio, students of color continue to underperform, imperiling their own futures and their community’s future.

So what needs to be done?

First, we need a candid, sustained public discussion that recognizes the minority achievement gap as a problem that affects our entire community - a problem that educators, political leaders, business leaders, parents and students must confront together. That is why the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation are co-sponsoring a public forum on this issue later this week at Clark University. We have invited a group of experts with widely varying opinions to assess the problem, challenge our thinking and suggest best practices.

From the perspective of a foundation that supports focused educational programs that are improving academic achievement, we know some things already. Most importantly, we know that all students can succeed when high expectations are the norm. Today, in too many classrooms and too many homes, minority students simply aren’t expected to achieve at high academic levels. Their teachers don’t expect it, their parents don’t expect it and, most disturbingly, they don’t expect it of themselves. While educators work hard to help their students excel, some teachers underestimate the academic potential of minority students or accept mediocrity as the norm.

While all parents want what is best for their children, some minority parents fail to reinforce the connection between academic excellence and future success, or feel powerless to demand high-quality teaching within a rigorous curriculum. And while some students of color are driven to succeed - despite all the obstacles - to do so they must transcend a youth culture that is often overtly hostile to learning.

How do we know that the achievement gap can be reduced when schools articulate high expectations for all of their students and provide academic support services to help them succeed?

The answer can be found right here in Worcester and similar New England communities. At Worcester’s University Park Campus School, a dynamic principal and faculty, with crucial support from the Worcester Public Schools and a significant investment by Clark University, have produced results that any school could take pride in. Serving a student population that is almost entirely minority and low-income, UPCS has received extensive media attention, and rightly so: every one of its 10th grade students passed the MCAS exam last year, and every one of its graduating seniors was admitted to college. Highly successful charter schools like Community Prep in Providence and Amistad Academy in New Haven also have achieved impressive results with similar student populations.

How do we know that the achievement gap can be reduced when community-based organizations provide intensive, long-term, highly personalized enrichment programs that supplement the school curriculum? For that answer, look no further than the Dynamy Youth Academy in Worcester, which identifies 9th grade students with academic potential and provides four years of counseling, academic advising and internship opportunities.

An independent evaluation found that the Dynamy program significantly improved students’ prospects for reaching and succeeding in higher education. The Citizen Schools program, offered locally in partnership with Massachusetts 2020 and the YMCA of Greater Worcester, is another example of a challenging, engaging after-school program that sends a message to kids that they are capable of achieving great things.

What we have learned is that despite years of low expectations, inferior education and/or under resourced homes and communities, there are stunning examples of minority student success in Worcester and throughout New England. And many more low-income and minority students will succeed when we believe in them, teach them well and convince them to believe in themselves. That is the mission we hope our communities will own and work together to accomplish.

Blenda J. Wilson is the President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, based in Quincy, MA.