The third of three town-hall meetings will be held on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1615 6th Ave., Tacoma, to explore causes and solutions to the African-American student achievement gap. The first town hall meeting was held Nov. 13 in Seattle, at Cleveland High School. The second meeting will be held on Nov. 18 in Spokane.
The meetings will let parents, students, educators and community members share their experiences and hopes for the education of African-American students. Feedback gathered from these town hall meetings will inform a comprehensive set of recommendations to close the achievement gap that will be presented to the Legislature in late December.
Issue background
A 15-member advisory committee was created following passage of House Bill 2722 in the 2008 legislative session and was allocated $150,000 to conduct a detailed analysis of the African-American student achievement gap from birth through age 20 and recommend a comprehensive plan for closing that gap. Specifically, the committee will:
- Examine student achievement data;
- Explore existing federal, state, school and community-based initiatives designed to improve student learning;
- Identify best or promising practices to help African-American students achieve at higher levels; and
- Develop a comprehensive plan to raise African-American student achievement, along with improvement benchmarks to monitor progress.
The committee is working in partnership with the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning, housed in the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, to undertake its work.
The town-hall meetings will feature a presentation on the purpose of HB 2722 and the advisory committee and break-out sessions to provide input on the strategic plan.
Please contact Janet Hayakawa, achievement gap study manager at the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning, at 360.725.6503, if you have further questions. Also, visit the Web site at www.k12.wa.us/CISL?k-12/HB2722.aspx.