Pre K - 12 & PSRP Public Education Issues Platform
The Issue It is essential that all students be given the opportunity, the knowledge and the skills to succeed at the next level. It is, therefore, of equal importance for any student, who is in danger of failing or is struggling, to be identified early and receive the assistance needed. High academic standards provide the measuring tool; assessment, early intervention and quality assistance programs provide the solution. Particular attention should be given to students in poverty and low-income areas. Studies show that many of these students, because they do not have the same out-of-school learning opportunities that advantaged children receive, struggle to stay abreast, lose interest as the achievement gap broadens, and finally give up. Studies done by Doris Entwisle and others at Johns Hopkins University found that " . . . children from poor and middle-class families make comparable gains during the school year, but while the middle-class children make gains when they are out of school during the summer, poor and disadvantaged children make few gains, or even move backwards academically." There are those students too that simply "fall through the cracks", students who were either not identified as needing assistance or did not qualify for the programs available. These students are most likely to be passed on to the next level because of age, parental or administrative pressure, or because there are no alternative options available. Action Steps We encourage elected officials to support policies and programs that:
|
