State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell delivered his fifth annual State of Education Address on January 22, 2008, and unveiled an ambitious, comprehensive plan aimed at closing California's pernicious achievement gap that exists between students who are white and students of color, as well as with English learners, students in poverty, and students with disabilities.
O'Connell has made closing the achievement gap his top priority in his second term of office. California's rigorous academic standards and accountability system have led to steady, significant achievement gains over the past five years. However, achievement data clearly reveals the need to focus in new ways on the groups of students whose achievement lags persistently behind. The achievement gap between white students and other ethnic groups as well as between English Learners and native English Speakers, Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Non-disadvantaged students, and Students with Disabilities compared to students without disabilities is a pervasive issue in many, if not all, of California's schools. This gap threatens the future competitiveness of our state in this demanding global economy. Working with a statewide council of educators from preschool through university and leaders from businesses and communities statewide, the California Department of Education is committed to finding and implementing solutions to what is the most challenging issue in both education and civil rights. For more on Superintendent O'Connell's Closing the Achievement Gap initiative, go to Closing the Achievement Gap: Achieving Success for All Students [http://www.closingtheachievementgap.org] (Outside Source).
