The recent results of the 2007 National Reading Report Card show the achievement gap between black and white students in Wisconsin is the highest in the nation.

Rep. Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee, said she is concerned about the recent test scores for minority fourth- and eighth-grade students. The status of Wisconsin as the state with the worst reading scores for black children is unacceptable, according to Grigsby.

Patrick Gasper, communications officer for the Department of Public Instruction, said work needs to be done to reduce the achievement gap.

"All schools are trying to have students achieve," Gasper said. "But it is a bigger problem than just in the schools; it's also the parents and communities together."

Reasons for the achievement gap, Grigsby added, include a lack of support from home and school, issues of violence in schools and funding setbacks.

"A lot of students are living in poverty, and this impact is huge," Grigsby said. University of Wisconsin sociology professor Ruth López Turley agrees with Grigsby and said parents are a huge factor in the gap, as parents’ levels of education, income and parenting practices are associated with the test score gap between races.

"There is no easy or simple solution, since the test score gap is ultimately tied with the widespread socioeconomic inequality that is especially prevalent between blacks and whites," Turley said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald.

The NRRC test assessed 3,000 fourth graders and 3,000 eighth graders, Gasper said. The students were randomly selected, but the largest population of black students tested live in Milwaukee.

Gasper added Wisconsin emphasizes the importance of early education with programs like SAGE — Student Achievement Guarantee in Education. This program offers smaller class sizes for beginning grades, thereby giving students more interaction with teachers.

"You can effectively eliminate the achievement gap before it ever starts with early education," Gasper said.

Grigsby said there is a strong need for after-school programs for students and the benefits of parental involvement in education.

"As a community, our schools have to provide small class sizes and quality teachers," Grigsby said.

Grigsby added she plans on holding a forum along with other colleagues from the Legislature's Black and Hispanic Caucus in late October.

"[The caucus is] alarmed at where we rank in the nation," Grigsby said. "I want to try to get some answers, because this is embarrassing for our state."

The state superintendent, Grigsby added, should speak about these issues and explain how Wisconsin is going to address the test scores. Additionally, Grigsby said she plans on having education experts attend the forum.

"We have a responsibility to see that our state dollars help these students who aren't learning," Grigsby said.