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Educators tackle inequality in state

A panel of education experts hosted by Teach for America discussed inequality in the state public education system during a presentation at University of Wisconsin Monday.

About 50 UW student audience members gathered in the University of Wisconsin’s Red Gym to participate in the discussion.

The panel included UW professor of curriculum and instruction Carl Grant, Indian Mound Middle School principal Dave Witte, Assistant State Superintendent for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Carolyn Stanford Taylor and UW professor of education Michael Olneck.

Panelists said they came from diverse backgrounds and had different life experiences, but added they all shared a common passion for fostering equal opportunities in public education.

UW junior Ali Treviño-Murphy said the panelists made a big impact on her because she is particularly interested in equality in education. She added she was “further inspired by the people on this panel and their commitment to inclusive education.”

The panelists presented to the audience a “snapshot” of Wisconsin’s achievement gap. They said there is a disparity in academic performance between groups of students based on gender, race and socioeconomic status.

Olneck, who focuses on multiculturalism in education, provided an overview of the statistics from Wisconsin by sighting numerous results from the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as “the National Report Card.”

According to this report, 60 percent of black eighth-graders scored below basic level on national progress tests compared to 17 percent of white students, 23 percent of Asian students and 42 percent of Hispanic students.

Only 8 percent of black students scored proficient, compared to 38 percent of white students. Black students had an average score lower than that of white students by 38 points.

“Reading scores for fourth- and eighth-grade black students in Wisconsin were dead last in the U.S. in 2007,” Olneck said.

The panelists said teachers are not trained properly to handle diversity.

“This achievement gap includes more than just one gap,” Grant said. “Political, economic, social and health gaps all feed into the education gap, but the problem can’t be reduced to blaming the circumstances of the student. What about teacher preparation?” Taylor also stressed the crucial role of educators.

“We have to look at the people who are in these classrooms, at the instructors,” she said. “Are they the best teachers out there? Probably not. If 50 percent of the students are not getting it, the problem is not with the students but with the educators.”

UW junior Jason Hale asked the panelists, “What have you done to minimize this gap?”

Witte said educating educators is the most important way to minimize the education gap. “I make sure teachers have an awareness of the diverse circumstance of their students so that they can then help their students,” he added.