Officials Discuss Achievement Gap

The summit, held at Smith Middle School, highlighted achievements of the school system's Minority Student Achievement Plan, which hopes to close the performance gap between white and minority students in addition to addressing areas where the plan is lacking.

System Superintendent Neil Pedersen said that since the formation of the system's task force on minority student achievement, the gap has shrunk at all school levels and the system's achievement gap is closing at a faster rate than the state average.

One shortcoming of the plan has been effectively reducing the gap at the high school level, Pedersen said. "Significant change is needed in high schools given the lack of success in improving (end-of-course test scores)."

In a session on parent-teacher conferences, many parents of high school students said they had problems scheduling conferences with teachers. "For the most part, my kids have been taken care of at the grade school level, but I've had problems with teachers in high school," said parent Linda Farrow.

Many parents said the format of high school parent-teacher conferences is to blame. The conferences are conducted with a team of teachers, so parents must choose a time that fits into the schedules of all the teachers involved.

Because parental involvement is a crucial element of the Minority Student Achievement Plan, this is something that has to change, said Susan Stites, a Chapel Hill High School social worker. "Teachers need to be flexible in planning conferences," she said.

Stites emphasized that parents need to communicate their concerns to teachers. "There won't be progress unless everyone works together," she said.

Many parents at the conference also said teachers need to inform them as soon as their children start having problems in schools. "Good teachers communicate with parents," one parent said.

In a session called Parent to Parent, teachers and parents stressed the need for parents to form relationships with other parents, teachers and board members to stay informed.

"We've got to keep each other abreast of what's going on," said teacher Burmadeane George of Phoenix Academy, a system school targeted toward special-needs students.

School board member Gloria Faley said black parents are at a disadvantage because they traditionally have not had the same relationship with teachers and other parents that white parents have.

"There is already a buddy system in the white community," Faley said. "Black parents need to tell teachers, 'You need to step out of your comfort zone and come talk to me,'" she said.

Another session featured leaders from local churches telling parents about their after-school programs. St. Joseph's Church Rev. Troy Harrison, a former teacher, said his program gives students help with homework. "What we try to do at St. Joseph's is help, in any way we can, the school district do its job."

The summit also included an opportunity fair with representatives from community groups like the Girl Scouts, the Carrboro Department of Parks and Recreation, El Centro Latino and others. The fair provided parents with information on the school system's after-school and summer programs, as well as programs and resources for minorities within the community.

Nettie Collins-Hart, system assistant superintendent, directed a session that invited parent dialogue on the Minority Student Achievement Plan. Last year was a turning point for the program, she said, because "the African-American community spoke out and said, 'This is not enough.'"

Collins-Hart, who has been involved with the minority student plan since its inception 10 years ago, said the initiative has had success but said, "We've got to do it quicker, and we've got to do it better."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.