Minority students underperform whites in North Carolina

Associated Press:

A new report says the state is not doing enough to boost the performance of minority students.

Last year's state testing results showed that 89 percent of white students in third through eighth grades passed reading and math. But only 67.2 percent of blacks and 71.4 percent of Hispanics did.

The report by the Raleigh-based N.C. Justice Center says state leaders need to take stronger steps to narrow the gaps in most schools. It said the state must examine current practices and policies to determine what is not working and develop new practices and policies to meet the needs of the students.

Marvin Pittman is the director of school improvement for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. He said the federal No Child Left Behind law is forcing schools to pay more attention to minority achievement.

White students need not attend: School chief talks only to minorities