Survey shows gap in learning

Terry Webster

Friday, Aug. 10, 2001 | 11:33 a.m.

The results of a survey that shows lagging academic achievement among black and Hispanic students, as well as white students from low-income families, came as no surprise to Carlos Garcia.

The Clark County School District superintendent called it a national problem that must be dealt with locally.

When the results were presented to the School Board Thursday night, Garcia said the school district must share responsibility and develop programs to turn the statistics around.

"These issues are national issues," Garcia said. "It's not just here. We need to look at this and deal with it and not pretend it doesn't exist."

A portion of the survey, conducted by a district-appointed diversity committee, shows that white students dominate honors programs, while black and Hispanic students have the highest rate of placement in special education classes.

Placement in special education and performance on the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam "appear to (indicate) educational inequity," the study states.

In 2000-2001, black and Hispanic students represented 43 percent of the student population. Yet they accounted for 48 percent of the 13,783 students classified as learning disabled.

The study also points out that early achievement gaps in math lead to placement in lower-level classes. Then, the study contends, students are not prepared to pass the proficiency exam.

In June 2000, 33 percent of black and 24 percent of Hispanic students failed the math portion of the proficiency exam. White and Asian students, meanwhile, failed at rates of 9 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

According to the study, early achievement gaps prevent blacks and Hispanics from getting access to courses they need for college.

"What's good enough for one group of students has to be good enough for everybody," Garcia said.

In elementary school, white students comprised 70 percent of the population in the gifted and talented program. Seven percent of the students in that program were black and 12 percent were Hispanic.

Meanwhile, the overall elementary schools' student population in 1999-2000 was composed of 49.4 percent white, 14.3 percent black, 29.3 percent Hispanic, 5.7 percent Asian and 0.8 percent American Indian.

The study also reports that black and Hispanic high school students are rarely found in high school honors programs.

For the Class of 2000, 1,239 honors diplomas were issued. Seventy-six percent were earned by white students, followed by 12 percent Asian, 4 percent black, 7 percent Hispanic and 0.8 percent Indian.

White students represented 58.3 percent of the 1999-2000 senior population, followed by 19.7 percent Hispanic, 13.4 percent black, 7.7 percent Asian and 0.7 percent Indian.

Garcia, who has been superintendent for one year, called the lack of equal access deep-rooted and far-reaching.

"But it's not just here," he said. "It's in every urban district."

Garcia agreed with the study's contention that minority and poor white students fall behind in the early years and fail to catch up.

"That's why we are stressing reading at grade level by third grade," he said.

And it's not just groups of minority students who are facing difficulties, Garcia said.

"The research showed that it's a socioeconomic issue," he said. "Poor white students also are functioning too low.

"We also are going to start stressing what our beliefs are. We believe that all kids can make it."