Looking forward

There’s no clear or easy solution to the opportunity gap. The MCPS Equity Initiatives Unit, which aims to eliminate racial predictability in student achievement, is working to narrow that gap by focusing on culturally responsive training for teachers. This practice emphasizes individual student needs, especially those of minority and immigrant students. The Board of Education is working to prevent further segregation and provide more support to level the playing field in early education.

This year, the Board passed Policy FAA, which specifies that if boundaries are redrawn, they cannot further segregate students. But it’s unlikely county officials will redraw boundaries to reduce de facto segregation, Board member Patricia O’Neill said. While the Board is considering redrawing adjacent boundary lines to fix issues with overcrowding, any future adjustments would keep students of similar socioeconomic status and race together.

As an initial strategy, MCPS is trying to close the gap early on by lengthening the school year from 180 to 210 days for two downcounty elementary schools. Students in lower-income areas often return to school at a disadvantage because they don’t have the opportunity to continue their learning during summer camps or travel, MCPS Public Information Director Derek Turner said.

Board member-elect Karla Silvestre believes increasing access to preschool is key. MCPS is already working on expanding the Head Start program from half a day to a full day, which helps low-income children prepare for kindergarten, she said.

“I feel like when you have a big problem, it’s really important to figure out where you can make the biggest difference and really focus relentlessly in that particular area,” Silvestre said. “More than half of MCPS kids are not ready for kindergarten, and that means the gap begins before kindergarten.”

Board member Jeannette Dixon wants quarterly reports to hold the Board accountable on closing the gap, she said.

“It should be something on the Board’s agenda to show that we are not just giving lip service to this, and it’s something that we really want to work on,” Dixon said.

Diversity in the classroom means teachers need to recognize students’ cultural norms. Equity Unit director Troy Boddy said adapting to students’ individual needs can help them feel more comfortable in that classroom. To that end, The Equity Unit has promoted culturally responsive training. This training helps teachers learn differences in cultural norms so they don’t punish a student for misunderstanding social and academic behaviors, Whitman staff development teacher Anne Chiasson said.

In schools in lower income areas, special programs enrich student learning or provide an alternative to college education. In 2004 the county created a downcounty consortium to promote school choice. In the consortia, each school has unique programs.

At Kennedy, students can choose from the International Baccalaureate program, the Leadership Training Institute, the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, Broadcast Journalism Academy and Business Administration and Management Academy. These programs provide alternatives to typical classroom learning.

The opportunity gap isn’t confined to low-income areas. An opportunity gap also exists within Whitman, Dodd said. To address the gap Dodd said he wants to ensure all students have access to higher level classes, including AP classes, regardless of their background. He also wants to look in to a two-day college trip for students who don’t have the financial resources to visit colleges on their own.

“Education is very slow to change,” the Equity Unit’s Boddy said. “It’s a lot of heavy lifting, but it’s something that we are chipping away at. We want everyone to have the same opportunities and best curriculum, no matter who they are.