The numbers released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that Minnesota’s fourth- and eighth-graders are near the nationwide top in reading. But the scores also found no improvement in closing the achievement gap between Minnesota’s black and white students.
“We have many reasons to be proud of our students’ achievement,” Dooher said. “Overall, they’re among the best in the country. But those numbers are worrisome and we can’t wait any longer to tackle the achievement gap. We know what we need to do to solve it. We need the will to stop waiting and get moving,” he said.
Dooher renewed his call for action on an achievement gap bill, sponsored by Education Minnesota and introduced last week at the state Legislature (H.F. 3706).
The measure would focus resources on the schools where students struggle the most academically. It would lower class sizes to 18, put social services on-site at the schools, provide for longer school days or school years when appropriate, take steps to recruit more teachers of color, get parents more involved in educating their children, and provide teachers adequate preparation time to develop effective classroom strategies.
“Each of these methods is proven by research to improve student performance,” Dooher said. “Beware those who offer so-called reforms that make politicians look good but do nothing to help children learn. It’s time to reverse our education funding cutbacks, get resources back into the classrooms and get this problem solved. We should not be asking whether taking these steps is possible. We should be recognizing that it is necessary to take them.”
The NAEP numbers found that Minnesota fourth-graders performed three points better than the national average in reading, while eighth-graders performed eight points better than the average. But the achievement gap between black and white students widened slightly for both age groups.
“The causes of the achievement gap are complex,” Dooher said. “For instance, more of our children are on free or subsidized lunches today than a year ago. That’s a socioeconomic issue, and one of many which affect performance in school. We need a combination of early childhood development, classroom resources, and parental and teacher involvement to turn this around. And we need a commitment from our leaders and our citizens to make closing the achievement gap a Minnesota priority.”
Education Minnesota represents 70,000 teachers and educational support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers.
For more information
Visit the Education Minnesota website
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The numbers released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that Minnesota’s fourth- and eighth-graders are near the nationwide top in reading. But the scores also found no improvement in closing the achievement gap between Minnesota’s black and white students.
“We have many reasons to be proud of our students’ achievement,” Dooher said. “Overall, they’re among the best in the country. But those numbers are worrisome and we can’t wait any longer to tackle the achievement gap. We know what we need to do to solve it. We need the will to stop waiting and get moving,” he said.
Dooher renewed his call for action on an achievement gap bill, sponsored by Education Minnesota and introduced last week at the state Legislature (H.F. 3706).
The measure would focus resources on the schools where students struggle the most academically. It would lower class sizes to 18, put social services on-site at the schools, provide for longer school days or school years when appropriate, take steps to recruit more teachers of color, get parents more involved in educating their children, and provide teachers adequate preparation time to develop effective classroom strategies.
“Each of these methods is proven by research to improve student performance,” Dooher said. “Beware those who offer so-called reforms that make politicians look good but do nothing to help children learn. It’s time to reverse our education funding cutbacks, get resources back into the classrooms and get this problem solved. We should not be asking whether taking these steps is possible. We should be recognizing that it is necessary to take them.”
The NAEP numbers found that Minnesota fourth-graders performed three points better than the national average in reading, while eighth-graders performed eight points better than the average. But the achievement gap between black and white students widened slightly for both age groups.
“The causes of the achievement gap are complex,” Dooher said. “For instance, more of our children are on free or subsidized lunches today than a year ago. That’s a socioeconomic issue, and one of many which affect performance in school. We need a combination of early childhood development, classroom resources, and parental and teacher involvement to turn this around. And we need a commitment from our leaders and our citizens to make closing the achievement gap a Minnesota priority.”
Education Minnesota represents 70,000 teachers and educational support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers.
For more information
Visit the Education Minnesota website