Achievement gap persists in Indiana schools

Dick Kaukas:

Indiana schools have failed to substantially narrow the achievement gap that separates low-income students from their more affluent counterparts, a new study has found.

The study, compiled by Indiana University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, was released at a news conference in Indianapolis yesterday.

Based on an analysis of a variety of test scores and other data, it concludes that the achievement gap has been narrowed only slightly since 2001.

Terry Spradlin, an associate director of the center and one of the authors of the 27-page study, said later in a telephone interview that "in the aggregate, we're doing pretty well," with more students passing the annual Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress exams and excelling on other tests.

"That's the good news." Spradlin said. "The bad news is that when you disaggregate the data, you find many kids -- poor, low-income and minority students -- whose educational needs are not being met."

The gaps separating these students from others, he said, "grow over time so the longer these kids are in our education system, the farther behind they fall."

The report says that "by high school, the average African-American and Hispanic senior is four years behind."

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