Resources

Breaking barriers to close the achievement gap

September 21, 2009

Oregon school boards struggle to meet the needs of students who don’t speak English, have special needs, live in poverty or are left behind in other ways. Here are resources, reports, stories, ideas and insights to help your board with these challenges.

Success stories and ideas from school districts

Ideas and insights into closing the achievement gap from eight school districts around the state:

OSBA resources

Breaking Barriers to Close the Gap, Spring 2004 Critical Issues (383k ) - An exploration of how Oregon school boards struggle to meet the needs of students who don’t speak English, who have special needs, who live in poverty or are left behind in other ways. Research, experts and common sense tell us all children can succeed. Hope makes us believe it has to be true. But the threat of sanction leaves us scratching our heads.

Closing the Achievement Gap, Spring 2001 Critical Issues (371k ) - A look at how Oregon’s population shift has affected the classroom. According to 2000 census figures, nearly a third of all babies born here in 1999 were Hispanic, African American, Asian American, Native American or multicultural. While minority students are making strides in meeting state benchmarks in the early grades, the gap between white and minority students grows wider as students grow older.

NCLB Governance Calendar - An example of a year-round plan to meet governance goals under NCLB and to raise student achievement.

AYP Communications Toolkit - Whether you’re a board member or an administrator, this Toolkit for Communicating About Adequate Yearly Progress gives you all the information you'll need.

Census Primer - While Census 2000 reveals our dramatic population changes, it is also a powerful information tool for school boards.

Communicating With Diverse Populations - According to 2000 Census figures, the minority population doubled in the last decade. How do we communicate with, and involve, this growing population?

Poverty information and resources

Poverty and Food Assistance in Oregon - From the OSU Extension Office.
Poverty Tour - Produced by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
Educational Success for Youth: Aligning School Family and Community (643k ) - Portland-Multnomah Progress Board Report: Note in Chapter 1 - page nine has information on the intersection of poverty and 3rd grade performance in predicting school success.
Dispelling the Myths of Poverty campaign
Oregon Center for Public Policy - Oregon Center for Public Policy has many excellent publications on food insecurity, the working poor, and other topics related to poverty in Oregon.

Other resources

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory - This agency is a good resource for districts seeking culturally diverse curriculum and multicultural staff. Type "achievement gap" under "Search."

Oregon Department of Education - Click on "Reports, data and statistics" to get Oregon Department of Education information about the state's educational system including student membership, graduation and dropout rates, spending, staffing, processes, performance, and demographics.

E3 Small Schools Initiative - Read about the Employers for Education Excellence project to increase student achievement and graduation rates in Oregon’s high schools.

Resources from and recommended by NSBA - National School Boards Association shares resources on minority achievement and closing the gap, including links to national clearinghouses, other organizations and best-practices publications.

Johns Hopkins Center for the Social Organization of Schools - For more than 30 years, the center has maintained a staff of sociologists, psychologists, social psychologists and other educational researchers.