Closing the achievement gap between minority students and other student groups has long challenged school board members.
Many minority students are encountering difficulty passing the High School Assessments, which are required by the state Department of Education to graduate from high school.
The Examiner asked school board candidates were asked how they would bridge this achievement gap.
Frank Aquino: “Continue to focus resources (e.g., after-school programs) where students whose performance needs improvement are located. Continue cultural proficiency training and regularly test the effectiveness of these programs.”
Marcelino Bedolla: “Some ?minority? students will have difficulty passing HSAs and the MSAs. [They] need … at least two years to pass these tests. … More … instruction must be given to ensure comprehension of written English.”
Larry Cohen: “We need to start … with [programs] in pre-school, all-day kindergarten, after-school and summer school; … provide more staffing and … resources … [for] schools not performing as well; and partner with parents and community leaders.”
Allen Dyer: “No single magic bullet exists but more can ? and should ? be done (computer access, scheduled study, etc.) to improve the after-school environment for students at risk.”
Sandra French: “Offer direct tutoring as provided by NCLB. Hire only ?highly qualified? teachers. Ensure that students are not teased or bullied by their peers for working at their academic best, but are recognized and praised.”
Ellen Flynn Giles: “Increase resources and opportunities for targeted in-school, after-school and summer programs. Expand outreach and community partnerships ? ESOL parent liaisons, BSAP mentors, Conexiones, Council of Elders, Alpha Achievers, etc.”
Patricia Gordon: “Specialists [at] elementary schools with special needs address reading and math. Specialists [focus on math in the middle schools.] In the high schools, we offer co-teaching, tutoring and additional instruction … .”
Joshua Kaufman: “We have allocated significant resources to our most at-risk high schools and have started new classes … for students [who are] at risk of failing or have failed the HSAs.”
Roger Lerner: “Focus of resources is key. Programs like co-teaching, which have proven to work, should be expanded and replicated across the county. Others, which have not proven themselves, should be cut.”
Donald Byrd Marston Jr.: “Some additional before- or after-school sessions.”
Dr. Janet Siddiqui: “Howard County schools have made … improvements, but you need to target the schools and students that are having problems and bring them together with the home and community to understand the issues.”
Peter Sola: “We need to insure a learning environment [that] brings up to equality all our students ? to give those schools parity ? [by increasing] teachers, aides, equipment, etc. When parity is achieved, we will have equality.”
Di Zou: “The best way to bridge the achievement gap is to bring in more minority teachers who understand minority students better. … Making teachers aware of the different learning styles will help close the gap.”
Paul Aliprando did not respond.
At a glance
» Today is the fourth story in a series that features the opinions of Howard County School Board candidates on school issues chosen by The Examiner. On Tuesday, the candidates will discuss how to help teachers live and work in Howard County.
