Letters to the Editor

By | Tuesday, October 16, 2007

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Education gap persists

Your Oct. 9 Metropolitan article "Quarter of high-schoolers failing exit exams" quotes Columbia University's Teachers College professor Jay Heubert as saying states have set standards that are impossible for youngsters to meet. I would argue that many state standards are not set high enough to assure that our students are being prepared adequately for college or the modern workplace.

There is no question that far too many students are not receiving the supports they need to reach and surpass these benchmarks.

In particular, students of color, who make up the majority of the population in the two Maryland districts with the highest exam failure rates (Baltimore City and Prince George's County), are often subject to lower expectations and consequently tracked into less rigorous courses.

As a result, many lose interest in school and ultimately drop out; researchers have determined that graduation rates for Latino and black students in Maryland are just 65 percent and 62 percent, respectively, compared to 82 percent for white students.

Nationally, students of color are four times as likely as white students to attend high schools from which less than 60 percent of entering ninth- graders are enrolled as 12th- graders three years later — schools considered "dropout factories."

In order to ensure that all children stay in school and graduate prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce, schools, districts and states must make certain that standards and expectations are set high for all students. However, we also must make sure that resources, from classroom materials to high-quality teachers, are distributed equitably in all districts so that each student, regardless of background, will have an equally high chance of success in life.

BOB WISE

President

Alliance for Excellent Education

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