Wednesday, March 26, 2008
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
2168 Rayburn Building, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC

Sponsored by
The Honorable Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Audio and Video from the Event can be accessed below...

Nearly seventy educators, policymakers, and other key stakeholders from the education and policy communities gathered on March 26, 2008 to discuss the need to collect and use accurate and reliable data in educational decisionmaking. The event was sponsored by Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) and hosted by the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE).

CHSE Director Michael Wotorson compared statistics on black students’ proficiency in reading and math to that of white students’, saying that if the achievement gap is going to be closed, important decisions first need to be made regarding instructional practices and school organization. “The question then becomes, on the basis of what kind of information and what kind of data are these decisions being made?” said Wotorson. “Making education decisions that affect all students without the benefit of fully disaggregated data ignores the unique needs of students of color.”

Dr. Charity Smith, assistant commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education, explained the ways that Arkansas engages in the thorough “mining” of their data systems, resulting in notable statewide educational improvements over the past several years. In order to make these changes, “we had to look at the achievement data, we had to look at the perceptual data, we had to look at educational programs, and we had to begin to look at data as it related to instructional practices,” she said.

Smith also pointed to teacher quality data as another key component in statewide educational improvements, saying that students of color were more likely to have teachers who were not certified in specific areas in which they were teaching. She noted that in order for the education system to improve, states had to look at the “hard stuff,” such as students’ access to high-quality education, explaining that although students of varying backgrounds attended school together, students of color were overwhelmingly tracked into less-rigorous courses as compared to white students, leading to what she called a “systems-induced gap.” Smith concluded that everyone must believe in the inherent ability of all children to reach high expectations, but that this belief requires action to ensure that all students receive the great education they deserve.

Doua Thor, executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, a CHSE member organization, addressed the educational challenges faced by many students of Southeast Asian descent, saying that their general academic performance was comparable to that of low-income black and Latino students, but because data is rarely broken down past race, the problems faced by the Southeast Asian student community are overshadowed by the overall success of Asian American students. She then emphasized the diversity of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

“We’re talking about fifty different ethnicities; over one hundred different languages…different socioeconomic statuses, and different historical circumstances,” she said.  Acknowledging that improvements in data collection and reporting systems reflecting increasingly diverse student populations would be a lengthy process, she stressed the need to be proactive and inclusive.

Quinton Roman Nose, a board member at the National Indian Education Association—another of the ten CHSE member organizations—believes the American Indian dropout rate is likely worse than reported. Many students “move from one community to another, say they are going to enroll [in another school] and never come back,” he said.

Roman Nose discussed his role as the tribal education director of the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe, which he likened to directing the education needs of a state. He said that if meaningful, reliable data were available to tribes, they could better advocate for their members’ education, and would be given the opportunity and voice to suggest strategies for combating the crisis. Roman Nose concluded that the use of data collected as part of the No Child Left Behind Act is especially important to tribal nations, and that its importance will only increase as tribes continue to take more responsibility for their youth’s education.

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Watch or Listen* to entire Event

AGENDA

I. Welcome and Opening Remarks

Michael Wotorson, Director, Campaign for High School Equity

Video

II. Using Data to Close State/Local Achievement Gaps

Dr. Charity Smith, Assistant Commissioner, Arkansas Department of Education

Video

III. Perspectives on Data Disaggregation from the Southeast Asian Community

Doua Thor, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center

Video

IV. Disaggregating Data for Parents and Local Advocates

Quinton Roman Nose, Board Member, National Indian Education Association

Video

V. Discussion and Question & Answer Session

Video

VI. Closing Remarks

Michael Wotorson, Director, Campaign for High School Equity

Video

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