LAUSD: More Bureaucracy to Save Black Boys?
In honor of Martin Luther King’s birthday, LAUSD’s lame duck superintendent Ramon Cortines announced that he has convened a committee to help black students finally close the achievement gap. In LAUSD, 71% of white students were proficient on the English CST exams last year, compared with only 36% of black students. In math, 65% of white students were proficient, compared to 30% of black students.
Of course these numbers are appalling and should be of great concern to everyone. However, Cortines’ announcement was really much more about political showmanship (considering its timing with the King Holiday) than about finding a real solution. Student achievement depends mostly on socioeconomic factors that affect children at home and in their communities. University of Washington economist Dan Goldhaber argues that as much as 60% of academic achievement is based on non-school factors like family income. Eric Hanushek believes that teacher quality accounts for only 7.5-10% of student test score improvements.
Therefore, unless Cortines has a plan for the decreasing wealth gap, or the political and social alienation of poor