Debatable Question:
Should Gov. Dayton increase funding for urban schools to close the achievement gap?
Minnesota has ranked the highest in in ACT scores for the nine year in a row (Lonetree, 2014) Minnesota is also ranked in first place in the standardized fourth grade math test scores. (McGuire, 2013). This is the news that made the headlines in 2013, but what wasn’t mentioned was the staggering gap in achievement between white and minority students. Minnesota is said to be one of states with the widest achievement gap in the nation. The minorities students are struggling to achieve in the same way their white counterparts are. Last year, “85 percent of white students, 56 percent of black students and 58 percent of Hispanic students graduated” …show more content…
A child would be categorized as being at risk if he/she has a higher risk of failing in an academic setting when facing certain circumstances. Some of these circumstances are “homelessness, incarceration, teenage pregnancy, serious health issues, domestic violence, transiency (as in the case of migrant-worker families), low test scores, disciplinary problems, grade retentions, or other learning-related factors that could adversely affect the educational performance and attainment of some students” (Great Schools Partnership, 2013, p.1). One area of focus is the community of north Minneapolis, which is known to be “the apex of crime, poverty and failing schools within the city”( North Achievement Zone, 2014) Governor Dayton chose to implement two cooperative initiatives, the Northside Achievement Zone and the St. Paul Alliance to tackle these kinds of areas. These two programs are making the effort to close the achievement gap with the help of parents and the community at large. They are teaming up with parents who are typically not involved in their children’s education and working with them one on one to help their children achieve academic success. They realize that it takes more than the classroom for success to be achieved and that investing in communities in which academic achievement is low is a major step in closing the achievement gap. As with relation to implicit family policy, this is truly a great initiative that it is helping families that usually don’t have the time or resources to invest in their children’s education take the time out of their day and show that they care for their children’s future. The care that these parents are taking is a great way to motivate their children to achieve more and make them more willing to work with their parents and other community members to
Should Gov. Dayton increase funding for urban schools to close the achievement gap?
Minnesota has ranked the highest in in ACT scores for the nine year in a row (Lonetree, 2014) Minnesota is also ranked in first place in the standardized fourth grade math test scores. (McGuire, 2013). This is the news that made the headlines in 2013, but what wasn’t mentioned was the staggering gap in achievement between white and minority students. Minnesota is said to be one of states with the widest achievement gap in the nation. The minorities students are struggling to achieve in the same way their white counterparts are. Last year, “85 percent of white students, 56 percent of black students and 58 percent of Hispanic students graduated” …show more content…
A child would be categorized as being at risk if he/she has a higher risk of failing in an academic setting when facing certain circumstances. Some of these circumstances are “homelessness, incarceration, teenage pregnancy, serious health issues, domestic violence, transiency (as in the case of migrant-worker families), low test scores, disciplinary problems, grade retentions, or other learning-related factors that could adversely affect the educational performance and attainment of some students” (Great Schools Partnership, 2013, p.1). One area of focus is the community of north Minneapolis, which is known to be “the apex of crime, poverty and failing schools within the city”( North Achievement Zone, 2014) Governor Dayton chose to implement two cooperative initiatives, the Northside Achievement Zone and the St. Paul Alliance to tackle these kinds of areas. These two programs are making the effort to close the achievement gap with the help of parents and the community at large. They are teaming up with parents who are typically not involved in their children’s education and working with them one on one to help their children achieve academic success. They realize that it takes more than the classroom for success to be achieved and that investing in communities in which academic achievement is low is a major step in closing the achievement gap. As with relation to implicit family policy, this is truly a great initiative that it is helping families that usually don’t have the time or resources to invest in their children’s education take the time out of their day and show that they care for their children’s future. The care that these parents are taking is a great way to motivate their children to achieve more and make them more willing to work with their parents and other community members to