Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Sandoval’s goal: Tighten achievement gap

Education funding would focus on lifting performance of minority students

During his State of the State address this year, Gov. Brian Sandoval urged lawmakers to write a new chapter in Nevada’s history by taking bold steps to fix the state’s underperforming public schools.

In following up with a $438 million tax proposal for education, Sandoval suggested that a key to opening a new chapter is to close something else — the achievement gap between white students and those of other ethnicities.

The gap, caused by complex and varied issues, has been a chronic problem for the state’s schools, particularly for the Clark County School District. Sandoval’s plan is designed to balance out achievement by funneling most of the new money to low-performing students — often minorities with disadvantaged backgrounds. For instance, $50 million would be used to expand the state’s Zoom School initiative, a program aimed at helping English-language learners.

How serious is the problem? Here’s a glimpse at how white, black and Hispanic students perform in CCSD compared with the overall student population. Mobile users click here.

Source: Nevada Department of Education

Percentages reflect students scoring at a proficient level or above on standardized tests. Science testing is done in fifth, eighth and 11th grades.

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