Last Wednesday, MCF’s Education Access Funders Network held a program and discussion that looked at the achievement gap in Minnesota schools, and potential ways to bridge that gap.
The session began with Ernest Davenport, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, who gave some background on the gaps in education using various studies and research.
One report spoke to the correlation of scores in math and reading from grade three to grade five; another was on the performance differences between white students and students of color. He additionally shared information on how the data on school performance and rankings of states can be misleading, as well as the relationship between coursework and content.
In May 2007, Citizens League launched a youth civic engagement website called Students Speak Out. This social-networking website was created to empower young people to take charge and take control, allowing for debates on a number of different topics that students, educators, parents and other stakeholders can participate in including technology in the schools, standards and testing, respect and discipline. Brett and Holly, two students from Avalon Charter School, are contributors to Students Speak Out and see the value of the site and having their voices be part of the larger conversations on education in Minnesota.
The last speaker was from Parents United, a statewide, grassroots organization that engages Minnesotans to advocate for public school children, holds elected officials accountable for education policies and funding, and promotes an environment where public schools thrive.
Toward the end of the session, one question that was posed was, “How do we find what works and go to scale?” The group began to challenge themselves to look at how to work as a collective to enact change on the policy level, so that they are not being only responsive to programmatic efforts that are short-term solutions.
Join the conversation: What role do you believe foundations should take in shaping education in Minnesota? Should foundations be taking a leadership role in convening stakeholders in public policy, or do they drive change based on the work they have funded?
- Sundraya Kase, MCF’s education access funders network coordinator, and Megan Sullivan, MCF’s communications associate
