Local and state experts to advise federal officials on education achievement gap

Educators and advocates with local ties will take part in a federal commission that will examine to what extent funding for the nation's schools is delivered equally and fairly to low-income and minority students.

The goal is to recommend policies and funding plans that would help close the achievement gap between white and Asian students and their low-income and minority peers.

The commission co-chairmen are Christopher Edley, the dean of UC Berkeley Law School, and Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix who served as president of the state Board of Education from 2000 to 2004.

Other members of the commission include: Stanford University law professor Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar; Stanford education professor Linda Darling-Hammond; Eric Hanushek, a senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institute; Matt Miller, host of "Left, Right & Center" on local NPR affiliate KCRW; and Thomas Saenz, the president and general counsel of the L.A.-based Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

The U.S. Department of Education formed the commission in response to a congressional request within a 2010 budget appropriation. The commission will meet for the first time in public session next week in Washington.

ALSO:

Bell's budget mess complicated by judge's order

Boy brings old grenade to school, causing lockdown

Girl kidnapped at Green Line station, sexually assaulted

-- Howard Blume

Comments

[DangerMouse]

Pffftt.... "Educators" advising on an education gap? Isn't it obvious?

Of course those pointy headed people in their Ivory WASC protected Towers have nothing to do with this gap.

More taxes will fix it!!!

[Lexicon Artist]

I have the answer to the achievement gap: let the blacks and Mexicans adopt the Chinese culture. As long as they go on popping out 8 kids each and never getting married and not valuing education and never saving for the future and beating their children and speaking poor English and cheating on welfare, there will be an education gap, which itself is just a culture gap.

[M Schwartz]

***The goal is to recommend policies and funding plans that would help close the achievement gap between white and Asian students and their low-income and minority peers.***

Why does the gap have to be closed? There are achievement gaps in all kinds of activities, it doesn't necessarily reflect bias, it may just reflect what people are good at.

[Milan Moravec]

Where does the buck stop for the achievement gap in California's higher education - Universities? The buck stops at the campus chancellors at colleges and universities. Inept leadership at the top of any college or university cascades through the organization. Here are recent examples of bad University senior leaders. NCAA repremands and censered UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau's men's basketball program. Chancellor Birgeneau pays ex Michigan governor $300,000 for lectures. Instead of doing the work of his job Chancellor Birgeneau ($500,00 salary) hires $3,000,000 consultants, while a east coast university does the same w/o spending $3,000,000 on consultants.
These bad decisions by a university leader negatively impact the resources available to low income and minority peers.