Eliminating the Achievement Gap

The Achievement Gap in Columbia Public Schools

The "achievement gap" in education refers to the disparity in academic performance between groups of students. It is most often used to describe the troubling performance gaps between many African-American and Hispanic students at the lower end of the performance scale, and their non-Hispanic and non-African-American peers--as well as the similar disparity that occurs among students from low-income families. The achievement gap shows up in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection, dropout rates, and college-completion rates. It has become a focal point of education reform efforts nationally and in Columbia Public Schools.  Achievement gap data sheet

World Cafe Events

In November 2010, Columbia Public Schools held a community meeting called a World Cafe to discuss the achievement gap in Columbia. More than 300 citizens and community leaders attended the meeting to discuss needs, barriers, and best practices at school, in the community, at home, and for children birth to five years of age. Meeting notes

As a result of the community meeting in November, seven community-led work groups have been established to dig deeper into the achievement gap issues facing students, families, schools, and the community. Additionally, representatives for the Minority Men's Network are helping us to guide the work group process. See the links below for more information on each of the work groups.

Each work group is currently meeting to gather information and have additional discussions. Another World Cafe was held on May 26, 2011, to bring the additional information gathered by the work groups back to the community for discussion, and another will be held on November 10, 2011, to continue the conversation on next steps toward eliminating the achievement gap in our community, including common community goals.