Editorial: District 204 parents provide promising start to addressing achievement gap

The source of the problem that brought black parents to the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board last week - the chasm between scores of minority students and of white students on standardized tests - is unquestionably distressing. Still, there is much that is promising about their interaction.

In the first place, dialogue is a key factor in solving any problem in the schools.

The willingness of a parents organization to confront school leaders demonstrates a commitment to participate in the solution. The assurances from the schools that they are working to close the gap reaffirms the parents' expectations and demonstrates an openness to ideas that cannot help but be productive.

Moreover, as school officials outlined, steps are already under way to try to address the discrepancies. The district has created a parent diversity advisory council, created new strategies for teaching study skills, enhanced the training of teaching assistants and instructed leaders in extracurricular activities to increase participation by minorities.

All these actions are targeted to factors that research shows contribute to performance on standardized tests, though they certainly are not the only ones.

The continued involvement of parents and promised openness of schools can help identify and overcome others - which we know include parent participation, accessibility of resources and inclusion in higher-level programs such as honors and advanced placement classes.

An underlying source of gratification in District 204's experience is the use of standardized tests as they are meant to be used, not as a bludgeon for punishing teachers or the schools for unsatisfactory outcomes but as a tool to measure and therefore improve learning.

An achievement gap for black and Hispanic students is well documented throughout the nation. The large gap between District 204 black and white students who meet or exceed standards is similarly apparent at district after district in results available on the Daily Herald School Checker online. But it does not have to persist.

Evanston's schools are reporting promising results with strategies aimed at involving more minority students in AP classes, and Elgin Community College has attracted nationwide attention for programs that have dramatically closed the gap for Hispanic students.

For their part, District 204 officials say they aim to improve minorities' performance by 2 to 5 percentage points in all subjects next year. It's a small figure when you consider that, depending on the subject and grade level, discrepancies can be as high as 35 to 40 percentage points, but it surely suggests progress that can be built upon.

The important thing, for District 204 as elsewhere, is the commitment from all quarters to outcomes that will assure all students "are successful academically and have equality across the board," as the Rev. Marilyn J.D. Barnes told the school board.

The insistence from parents and the response from the schools suggest a good start on building that commitment in District 204.