NEWARK -- Despite consistently ranking at the top of school systems in the state, educators in Worcester County have always acknowledged that schools here suffer from the same minority achievement gap that is measurable nationwide. Hoping to chip away at that gap, the county has started a Building a Bridge to College Summit Program (BBCSP).
“The focus of this program is to promote academic excellence and opportunities for underrepresented minority students, as well as other students, in various academic programs that show achievement gaps,” wrote Coordinator of Instruction Shirleen Church in a memo to the Board of Education. “Data has shown there are pockets of talented students who need additional support, resources and guidance to guarantee they reach their academic goals. This program will provide those support systems and thus close those achievement gaps.”
BBCSP is a collection of activities countywide designed to motivate parents and students to get ready and excited about going to college, according to Church. It’s also in place to help educators zero in on the areas where the achievement gap between minorities and white students are most prevalent. Besides the obvious areas like Maryland State Assessment (MSA) performance, Church pointed to things like the honor roll as a watermark that the board can look at to indicate progress in closing the gap.
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6 comments:
This program is a waste of money as long as UMES and others promote racial distinction with the T shirts they sell.
you can only expect so much from some people, why don't you just accept the fact that they can't do any better. if the elevator doesn't go all the way to the top, you aren't going any higher.
Holding back the top students is the only sure way to close the gap. Spending tens of millions of dollars on those who are doing poorly hasn't closed any gap.
My daughter is not on the honor roll because she is white, she is on it because she studies and has a mother and a father that support her. This has nothing to do with race, it has to do with parental responsibility.
It's a cultural,rather than racial issue.There are black honor students out there and they come from families who place a high value on education and discipline.Furthermore,if a kid cannot even grasp basic high school math,WHY are they on a path to college? What is wrong with steering them towards vocational studies where secure and well paying trades can be learned?
It helps kids a lot if they have parents (plural) that care about education and care that their child tries to do their best.
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