More minority teachers will help bridge gap

If local school districts are to connect with minority students to help them achieve, the students need to see more faculty that look like them in the halls.

And the districts would love to hire such candidates, but they say few ever apply.

Minority faculty recruiting and retention was one of many topics discussed Wednesday night during a forum discussion on "closing the achievement gap for minority students," featuring representatives from districts 204 and 203, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois State Parent Teacher Association.

"I tell people every day, if you know any great minority teachers or administrators, send them our way," said Indian Prairie Unit District 204 Superintendent Kathryn Birkett. "We want to talk to all of them. It is a fact that students learn better in an environment that best resembles the community, and we are getting ever more diverse every day."

Another key component to success for all students, but especially in minority communities, is parental involvement, said Kathy Kless, assistant superintendent for curriculum and staff development at Naperville Community District 203.

"Tonight's meeting exemplifies that component and stresses the importance of developing a professional and collaborative relationship," Kless said. "Together I believer we can coach each student along their path toward success just by providing strong instructional guidance and parental support."

Some parents in attendance also wondered if the districts were seeing high percentages of minority children in their respective preschool programs and if early education would also be beneficial to those students. Despite some of their best efforts, both districts said, the numbers are low in several communities.

"We have been targeting the neighborhoods where our attendance is low and stressing the importance of early childhood education," Birkett said. "It's really in everyone's best interest to assists students as early as possible so we can measure their curriculum level and put things in place to keep students from falling behind."

Wednesday's forum, held at the Naperville Municipal Center, was sponsored by Republican Representative Darlene Senger of Naperville and the Minerva Education Foundation of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.