Can we eliminate the achievement gap and make certain that
all young people develop the skills they need for the 21st century?
If Generation Next succeeds, Minneapolis and Saint Paul certainly have an
excellent chance of doing so.
The Generation Next annual meeting, in mid-October, celebrated
the initial steps that the initiative has taken and focused attention on what
next steps we as a community need to take. In opening the meeting, President
Eric Kaler of the University of Minnesota noted what Minnesota Compass has
documented: that the gaps in academic achievement between white children and
children of color result in a terrible ranking for Minnesota among the 50
states.
The situation might seem daunting, the problem intractable.
The most recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, for
example, show no narrowing of the achievement gap. However, Generation Next
offers hope, for several reasons.
As Generation Next Executive Director R.T. Rybak pointed
out, educational success relies upon joint action. He wants the initiative to
provide tools to families, schools, and communities – all of which must work in
concert in order for student achievement to occur. Generation Next has set a
lot of joint action into motion.
Practical and
tangible community steps
Generation Next has sorted the big issues into several goals
within which the initiative can identify smaller, addressable community tasks. For
example, it has worked in very practical and tangible ways to determine how
many children lack quality child care or tutors for reading, raises awareness
about issues like these, and develop strategies to link the children in need to
resources effective for them.
Data informed
programs
Generation Next has made excellent use of data to identify
the timing and content of interventions to improve academic success. Eric
Moore, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment for Minneapolis Public
Schools, described how 9th grade school behaviors (attendance and
completing courses in 9th grade) constitute the most significant
predictor of whether young people will graduate from high school. Generation
Next intends to bring to our region an evidence-based program from the
University of Chicago, which focuses on 9th-graders and which has
demonstrated positive effects on high school graduation rates.
Professor Michael Rodriguez of the University of Minnesota
(and an alum of Wilder Research) has done research showing that commitment to
learning among African American males is higher than for whites. However, learning
commitment tends to take a dip in junior high. Supplied with this knowledge,
Generation Next can work with schools and others to intervene strategically to
prevent that dip from occurring and thereby narrow the achievement gap.
Community investment
Generation Next has built coalitions of funders, providers, and
volunteers. The United Way and the Bush Foundation have taken note of the
momentum and announced at the annual meeting major new funding to sustain that
momentum and promote quality care and services in the support of children’s
education.
Will this all work?
We need to wait and see. The initiative has incorporated
ingredients recommended by the National Education Association and by
researchers who have spent years studying the achievement gap and its causes. Improvement
of our children’s academic success will not result solely from efforts
undertaken inside the school walls. Superintendents, principals, and teachers
need to play their roles effectively to teach a changing population of young
students. Generation Next can collaborate with those educators and with others
to forge the symbiosis among families, schools, and communities that will make
sure our children enter school ready to learn, succeed in learning, and lead
fulfilling lives.
In sending us off from the Generation Next annual meeting,
Kim Nelson, Senior Vice President at General Mills, reflected the excitement
and energy embodied among those in attendance. She expressed hope. She noted:
“We’re becoming aligned. We’re focusing on evidence based practice.” Through
this alignment, she intends to help lead the community to our ultimate goal:
eliminating the achievement gap and ensuring a great education for all of our
children.
