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CALL FOR A |
The
issues before us are stark and urgent.
The achievement gap – from kindergarten through college and beyond – is now well-known. Too many children begin life disadvantaged, attend poor schools, learn little, drop out in school or in college, and wind up at the margins in low skill, low paying jobs. We have made progress in closing the gap, but not enough. Some people still think this situation is impossible to change. Some even believe we need to have a lower track for people “who really can’t make it.” Some believe there will never be enough high-level jobs to go around. This is wrong. Both research and our progress so far show that people can achieve at much higher levels.
Global
competition, while in the news, is not well-understood. Many see it simply as a
problem of global out-sourcing to countries that will do the job cheaply. But
that is only part of the story. Other nations compete not only with lower costs
but also higher quality. The
Too few people will have the knowledge and skills our nation needs. This is unacceptable. Only if we act together can we can correct this problem now.
We
have met and overcome similar challenges before. We bring huge advantages to
this challenge, and we will use them.
What shall we do? See the challenges clearly, mobilize the capacity of the University, determine the vital few actions needed, and act together. That is why we will come together in a Summit on New York Education.
What is the gap and what causes it?
It begins with poverty and continues in schools that are
under-funded and ill-equipped, with large classes and a weak curriculum,
keeping many people from entering and completing college. This represents a
fundamental lack of opportunity and of access for many hundreds of thousands of
children.
The facts tell the story:
l About
40% of children in
l By 4th grade, about 55% of Black and Hispanic students reach the standards in reading and writing vs. almost 80% of white students.[5]
l Only about half of high school students in our big cities pass their courses and graduate in four years vs. 80% or more in middle class and wealthy schools.[6]
l Fewer than half of students with disabilities who complete high school plan to go to college.[7]
l Many
people who enroll in college never finish because they entered ill-prepared to
do the work and never receive the support they need. In
Global competition: Can we educate everyone to fill the jobs available and compete with the rest of the world?
Again, the facts tell the story about job growth:
l Higher-paying
white-collar office, education, health care, and technology jobs now account
for over 60% of all jobs, and these sectors are growing the most.[10]
l Jobs that require
an associate’s degree will grow by a third through 2010. Jobs requiring a
bachelor’s degree will grow by 24%.[11]
l Higher-paying
factory jobs shrank from 32 to 17% of all jobs between 1959 and 2001.[12]
l Low-wage service
jobs are stagnant at 20% of all jobs.[13]
l Jobs requiring at
least some college continue to pay more. In 1979, they paid 43% more than jobs
requiring only a high school diploma. By 2001, they paid 62% more.[14]
l
And jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree now pay 76%
more.[15]
And
l
l American employers
report that too many job applicants lack skills in writing, problem solving,
and creative thinking, as well as specific occupational competencies.
l Foreign owned
companies and foreign-born inventors hold nearly half of new
l Federal investment
in fundamental research has declined and is only half its mid-1960s peak of 2
percent of GDP.[18]
l The
l By 2010, if current
trends continue, more than 90% of all scientists and engineers in the world
will live in
l The
Can the gap be closed?
Yes. Many argue that disadvantaged people are not able to reach the
standards demanded in education. Research shows they can. And improving
achievement gives reason for optimism:
l Low-income and disadvantaged students who are
placed in more challenging courses frequently are more successful and achieve
more than those who are placed in low-level courses.[22]
l Children of color
have often made the biggest gains. In elementary school, more than half of
Black and Hispanic students now meet the English standards, up from a quarter
six years ago. Three-fourths meet the math standards, up from less than 45% six
years ago.[23]
l There has been a
dramatic rise in the number of students taking and passing Regents and Advanced
Placement exams over the period from 1996 to 2004.[24]
l The number of students graduating from high school has increased, even with higher standards.[25]
l More Black and Hispanic students are graduating from college. More students with disabilities are going to college and graduating. But more need to do so.[26]
Why does closing the gap matter?
When some are left behind, all of us
ultimately suffer – from a failure to compete with other countries that educate
their citizens to higher standards, from the failure of
What are our joint aims?
At a series of
regional meetings held around the State in preparation for the Summit, leaders
generally approved the following aims to help us close the gap and improve
achievement overall:
Every child will get a good start. This
implies, for example, prenatal care, child health care, family literacy through
libraries and other institutions, pre-school programs and full-day kindergarten
for all. And these programs have to work together.
Every child will read by the
second grade. We know enough now to do this. It implies systems to
spread that knowledge to all teachers of young children and parents, and
continued research to extend what we know. It implies screening programs and
reading strategies based on scientific knowledge. It implies leadership from
colleges, universities and schools that prepare teachers, and joint effort
between schools and libraries.
Everyone will
complete middle level education ready for high school. This implies a combination of leadership,
instruction, support, and connections with families to enable all children to
grow both academically and as caring people. In concrete terms, it means
eliminating the problems of low academic achievement by the end of 8th
grade.
Everyone will graduate from high school ready for work, higher
education, and citizenship. This
implies consistent expectations from higher education, schools, employers,
parents, teachers and others, and clear communication with students. It implies
help from cultural, professional, and community groups to foster literacy; a
focus on students in danger of dropping out and on schools with low graduation
rates; action to boost attendance; individual attention for young people with
weak skills; and connecting student interests with a rigorous curriculum that
includes career and technical education. In the long run, this also implies
that we will redesign high school.
People who begin higher education
will complete their programs. Graduates will be well-prepared for careers and possibly
the professions, and ready for participation in public life and a fulfilling
life in general. This implies that colleges and cultural, professional, and
community groups will support strategies already proven in higher education
opportunity programs: academic support, guidance, and tutoring. It implies
financial commitment to stronger institutions and tuition assistance to keep
college affordable. It implies investing in our capacity in mathematics,
science, the arts, and the other disciplines.
People of all ages who seek more
knowledge and skill will have the fullest opportunity to continue their
education.
What did we learn about how to achieve our aims?
1. Joint venture will get us there. Each aim seems at first glance to fall
within one part of the educational system. For example, “Every child will learn
to read by the second grade” appears to belong to early elementary school. But
at the regional meetings we saw that achieving this aim also depends on
university preparation of teachers, family literacy, summer reading programs,
and all the health, social, and related actions needed from birth to give each
child a good start.
2. Finding institutional
self-interest in joint venture is critically important. As one college president said, we of
necessity spend our time thinking about our own institutions. Joint venture
becomes a rational strategy when we discover that the interests of our own
institution match those of another in pursuit of a particular goal.
3. When we concentrate on a few key
actions, hard effort will produce better results. We need to think together in unconventional ways. We should focus on
transition points from level to level in the K-16 education system, the
connections between that system and cultural institutions and the professions,
and how to create a culture that sends and receives messages of expectation up
and down the line.
What are a few key actions where we can work together to achieve our aims?
At the regional meetings, we saw three
points where joint effort could produce significant results:
1.
Support parents and expose all children to early education. Build a
USNY coalition, together with health and other human service organizations, to
give every child a good start in school and in life.
Children who enter kindergarten with delays
in language, literacy, and socialization skills are at risk for future academic
failure. From Reading First data,
we know with 88% reliability that how children read at the end of 1st grade
predicts their reading mastery at the end of 3rd grade.[27] The research also shows that high quality
instruction and parent involvement increase achievement for young
children. Yet
l Ensure
children begin school ready to read by increasing participation in literacy and
educational programs through libraries, public television, museums, and other
organizations.
l Make
pre-kindergarten opportunities universal throughout the State.
2.
Reform high school to enable all students to graduate ready for
work, higher education, and citizenship.
l
Commit to achieving higher graduation rates,
and raise those targets periodically.
l
Focus now on the high schools with graduation
rates below 70%. (Currently, there are 136 such schools.)
In those schools, support actions that have been shown to improve graduation, including helping students transition from middle school; expanding proven career-technical education models; making sure every school can provide students with a quality school library and access to cultural resources; and giving intensive help to students with disabilities and English language learners to improve achievement and complete high school.
l
Provide students with the challenging courses they
need to succeed in college.
l Broadly
engage citizens, parents and students in a statewide discussion about how to
reform high schools that don’t graduate their students with the skills needed
for higher education and work.
3.
Ensure that higher education is affordable and of high quality and
that all students receive academic support to enter and complete college.
Other nations have recently equaled or
surpassed the
l Provide academic
support to increase graduation rates, especially among underrepresented groups.
l Make college more
affordable.
l Increase the number
of graduates in critical academic majors and professions.
l Increase investment
in faculty, infrastructure, and research.
What are the important questions for the
To take
action and achieve our aims, we should ask some critical questions at the
l Do you support the joint aims?
l Do you agree that current achievement levels are
insufficient?
l Are these the essential actions we will take together to
accomplish our aims?
l What will you
and your organization do?
l What must we
do to enable joint venture? What will get in our way? What will we do to
overcome the problem?