The education gap
EDUCATION REFORM in Massachusetts was launched in large part to address the achievement gap between urban and suburban students and the dropout problem that disproportionately afflicts urban schools. Yet a significant gap continues to exist and the dropout rate has increased dramatically in urban school districts. With the recent addition of three new members to the Board of Education, as well as the attention and concern of the governor, there is reason to hope that the rigorous examination of the policies needed to reverse these trends will finally take place.
Honest evaluation of education reform in urban schools must begin with a look at three factors that have exacerbated these inequities.
First is the practice of testing elementary school students and then holding back - regardless of their grades - those whose scores indicate they are unlikely to pass the 10th-grade MCAS. This practice prevails despite research that shows a strong correlation between grade retention and a greatly increased probability of dropping out of school.
Second is the labeling of schools as "underperforming" and "failing" based on MCAS scores, with extreme consequences such as eventual state takeover. To avoid these consequences, many schools have established formal and informal mechanisms to push out low-scoring students. There has been a significant increase in students who are suspended and expelled from school, often for minor infractions. In addition, young people report that school personnel have sometimes suggested that they would be better off leaving school and getting a job or enrolling in a GED program.
Perhaps the most widespread damage comes from the double blocks of math and English that fill students' schedules and focus on MCAS prep. In some schools, teachers are required to conduct these classes according to a tightly controlled and monitored script that leaves no room for creativity or working with students' individual learning styles.
This one-dimensional classroom environment has led many students, including some who have passed MCAS, to drop out of school. Furthermore, it has caused many bright and talented teachers to leave the profession; Boston is losing more than 500 teachers a year, representing approximately 12 percent of the teaching workforce.
Finally, this approach has left virtually no time or capacity to provide urban students with art, music, theater, physical education, or life skills offerings - fundamental components of curriculums capable of engaging and retaining hard to reach students.
In short, the test-score increases that have been logged in some urban schools owe a lot to students being held back, pushed out, and subjected to mind-numbing test-prep classes. Meanwhile, common sense, relatively low-cost improvements that would have an immediate and dramatic impact on increasing schools' holding power have been ignored. Here are some examples of cost effective approaches:
In evaluating schools, raise the visibility of the dropout rate as a measure of success, while deemphasizing test scores. Reward schools for holding onto difficult students, rather than for losing them.
Require that schools eliminate MCAS preparation courses and achieve increased scores through broader and more engaging curriculum offerings.
Require that schools eliminate the policy of holding students back based on their MCAS scores.
Require that secondary schools move their start time to 8 a.m. or later. This would be particularly effective in many urban and rural districts where students often have to leave home by 5:30 or 6 a.m. to get to school on time.
Require that schools provide enough books so that students can take them home for study and homework. Currently in Boston and other urban districts, schools maintain only one set of books per subject in each classroom.
Require that schools provide art, music, theater, and life skills course offerings both during the school day and as after-school, extracurricular programs.
With nearly 2,000 students dropping out of Boston Public Schools last year and more than 11,000 dropping out statewide, it is time to look at the negative consequences of current policies and take the actions necessary to keep these students in school and achieving up to their potential.
Stanley Pollack is executive director of the Center for Teen Empowerment. 