(Photo: State School Superintendent Jack O’Connell visits a classroom at Rowan Elementary School in San Diego. Ana Tintocalis/KPBS)
State school superintendent Jack O'Connell visited a San Diego elementary school today to learn how teachers closed the racial achievement gap at their campus. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has the story.
Black students at Rowan Elementary struggled academically for many years. Things changed when teachers developed culturally relevant ways to connect with the kids. Their strategies included adopting culturally relevant books and making home visits to minority parents.
Now the school's black students are outperforming whites on standardized tests.
O'Connell wants that success around the state.
O’Connell: Its time to move past, I believe, the discomfort of talking about race. It’s time to past the harmful illusion that we live in a colorblind society.
O'Connell initiatives for change include offering cultural sensitivity training for teachers and conducting school surveys on race and education.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
