| Santa Clara County, CA | November 2, 2010 Election |
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Closing the achivement gapBy David J. NeighborsCandidate for Board Member; Berryessa Union School District |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
Test scores have shown a persistent and pervasive achievement gap among Latino and African-American students when compared with their white and Asian classmates.Test scores have shown a persistent and pervasive achievement gap among Latino and African-American students when compared with their white and Asian classmates. Once thought to be more related to socio-economic status as opposed to culture or race, statistics show that this is not the case. Latino and African-American students from middle-class families are still suffering from a gap. Some point to cultural differences in the way students learn and the lack of flexibility in the way students are taught in America's public schools. The studying I have done related to the Latino achievement gap leads me to believe that solutions lie in making sure students receive an adequate pre-school curriculum and nutrition in their first five years. Too many Latino students are behind when starting kindergarten and never catch up. The next checkpoint is to make sure students are reading at grade level by third grade. In middle school - preparing students to complete algebra before entering high school is another benchmark. The first two years of high school are important in reducing the high school drop-out rate (50% amongst Latinos). Two programs shown to be successful are The Puente Project and The Ivy League Project. Both match 9th and 10th grade students with mentors, provide college and career counseling, and summer camps on university campuses. Once in college, groups like MEChA have had a positive influence on students when it comes to tutoring and instilling a commitment to give back to the student's community. I have mentored two students in the Puente project and have a colleague who is a product of Overfelt High School's Puente Project. Puente works. |
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ca/scl Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 9, 2010 21:13
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