A vision for change 

 As part of its strategic vision to close the gap in academic achievement separating many students of color from higher-performing groups, the California School Boards Association conducts analysis, outreach and training to help its members boost the academic achievement of all students.

CSBA Director-at-Large, Black, Emma Turner chaired a meeting in April that brought representatives from a number of school districts, community organizations and nonprofit groups to CSBA’s West Sacramento office to pinpoint the most effective ways to assist African American students in their community. Joined by CSBA President Paula S. Campbell and Director-at-Large, Hispanic, Susan Heredia, the group suggested an initial strategy of developing basic questions to help school boards, superintendents and administrative staff address issues of race and develop effective approaches to ensure equitable access to high-quality instructional materials, resources and teachers, counselors and other personnel.

Recognizing that schools cannot eliminate achievement gaps alone, the group also explored ways local districts and county offices of education could partner with parents and community-based organizations to identify and respond to their children’s needs. Formed in 2008, the group plans to continue to explore collaborative ways to identify and expand successful models and partnerships.

As the CSBA representation at the meeting suggests, the initiative is an outgrowth of CSBA’s five Student Issues Conference Groups—networks that bring school board members together to target the unique needs of black, Hispanic, Asian-Pacific Islander and American Indian students, as well as students in juvenile court schools supervised by county offices of education.

The conference groups are not committees, task forces or purveyors of “best practices,” says Jo Ann Yee, senior director for Strategy Development, Achievement, Diversity and Urban Affairs, who helps coordinate their activities. Instead, they are “networks of people and districts” interested in “working together to address the needs of targeted groups of students.”

For more information about any of these efforts, contact Yee at jyee@csba.org.

—Kristi Garrett