Patte Barth, The Education Trust
Winter 2003
Education Watch: Achievement, Attainment, and Opportunity from Elementary School Through College
The Education Trust
Winter 2003
These two reports from the Education Trust document the unequal educational treatment of low-income and minority students 49 years after Brown v. Board of Education. This subtle segregation takes the form not of separate schools but of different expectations, opportunities and levels of attainment. In the first report, author Patte Barth draws from recent large-scale economic and education studies to argue that, in order to prepare all students to succeed in college or the workplace, all students must be exposed to a rigorous, college prep curriculum. According to Barth, "the research is clear and compelling: the single biggest predictor of success in college is the quality and intensity of a student's high school curriculum - more significant than test scores or class rank. In fact, these factors trump socio-economic status as an influence on student success." Despite the proven importance of subjecting all students to a rigorous academic high school curriculum, the second report, Education Watch: Achievement, Attainment, and Opportunity from Elementary School through College, shows that "in almost every state minority students are enrolled in lower level classes, are assigned to less-qualified teachers, and are disproportionately placed in special education - or suspended from school entirely." The report includes summary reports with state-specific data on achievement gaps, opportunity gaps, and attainment gaps, as well as clear recommendations about what should be done to eliminate this subtle segregation. To get the first report, go to http://www.edtrust.org/main/main/reports.asp and click "more info" to download. The second report is at http://www.edtrust.org/main/documents/summaries2003/US_statesum.qxd.pdf, or you can go straight to the state summary data at http://www.edtrust.org/main/main/states.html.
