Administrators at some South Carolina schools won't waste this summer at the beach; they're already planning the upcoming school year, with an eye towards closing the racial achievement gap, which continues to widen in the state:
It's summertime at South Elementary School. The halls are silent and empty. But behind closed doors, teachers, maintenance workers and school secretaries are busy, setting up classrooms and thinking about the coming year weeks before school begins in August...
South Elementary is one of 107 schools in South Carolina that are "closing the gap" between the test scores of black and white students and the haves and have-nots, according to a study released Thursday by the state agency that oversees the implementation of education legislation. The Education Oversight Committee report said black students and students who receive free and reduced-price lunches are likely to fall farther behind their peers in math and reading in the next 10 years unless "dramatic" corrective action is taken...
Some of the report's recommendations include increasing instruction time for students who are at risk of falling behind, developing academic assistance plans for each child and improving programs for 4-year-olds to prepare them for school.
At some SC schools, students in the disadvantaged categories perform well on standardized tests, and other school hope to follow their leads. More on some of the successful schools here:
The biggest local winner was Stono Park Elementary in West Ashley, which has a school population that is 84 percent black.
It posted high levels of performance across grade levels and subjects for both black and poor students.
"It is our passion that our kids will do well," said Principal Stephanie Strous, one of three principals statewide selected to speak to EOC members Thursday. "All kids can achieve. As principal, it is my goal to prove it."
She summed up her philosophy in two words: "We believe." Order and structure are also important, she said. "These seven (school) hours, we control. We don't wring our hands. We make use of it."
Posted by kswygert at June 18, 2004 10:27 AM