{"id":10897,"date":"2023-10-05T17:16:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T17:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=10897"},"modified":"2023-10-09T21:30:19","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T21:30:19","slug":"school-board-orders-new-plan-to-address-racial-achievement-gaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/10\/05\/school-board-orders-new-plan-to-address-racial-achievement-gaps\/","title":{"rendered":"School board orders plan to address racial achievement gaps"},"content":{"rendered":"
Durham Public Schools\u2019 academic performance improved over the last school year, but achievement gaps between the district\u2019s Black and Hispanic students and other students remain stark. In a Sept. 28 meeting, the school board instructed the superintendent to develop a plan to shrink the disparities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In a unanimous vote, the board directed the superintendent, Pascal Mubenga, to return with an achievement plan by December of this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to a report presented to the school board, over 88% of DPS schools met or exceeded academic goals in 2022-23, and all demographic subgroups saw improvements between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. The district\u2019s Black students saw a 4.4% increase in academic proficiency while Hispanic students saw a 3.2% increase. White students saw a 3.5% increase, with a rise of 0.8% for Asian students, 4.5% for multi-racial students, and 1.5% for students with limited English proficiency. American Indian students saw a 20.2% increase.<\/span><\/p>\n But big disparities remain. The 2022-23 school year statistics, compiled by the district\u2019s Offices of Research and Accountability and of Equity Affairs, show 39.5% of Black students and 37.4% of Hispanic students scored at or above proficiency on standardized tests. By contrast, 82.7% percent of white students, 63.3% of Asian students and 56.8% of multi-racial students met or exceeded the standards. Students with limited English proficiency had the lowest proficiency rates, with 18.4% meeting or exceeding proficiency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMany of our students, including our Black and Hispanic students, are doing amazingly, academically and otherwise. But the reality also, once you dig into our data a little bit deeper, is that many of our Black and Hispanic students are really struggling academically,\u201d said board member Jessica Carda-Auten.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The achievement plan will break down student progress by race, ethnicity, and English language proficiency. The plan will also recommend methods to monitor the disparities and strategies to reduce the achievement gaps by 2028.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The resolution builds on the 2023-28 <\/span>Strategic Plan<\/span><\/a> that was approved unanimously in May.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A secondary goal is to address district suspension rates, with the aim of reducing the number of Black and Hispanic students suspended to five percent or lower.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n