A group called Alliance of Black Achievement is working towards narrowing the education achievement gap for Black students in Stamford. Data from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills assessment is showing that a fourth of Black third grade students scored in the lowest category at the beginning of this last school year. The pandemic has also exacerbated the gap: “During this school year, about 28 percent of all Black students in Stamford were listed as chronically absent–they missed at least 10 percent of all school days. That figure was 15 percent the same time the previous school year.”
The alliance recently submitted four objectives to the Board of Education: implementing programs to promote Black student achievement, elevating the voice of parents of Black students, establishing the board as partners in the alliance’s work and increasing the representation of Black teachers. The Alliance members stated they plan to establish subcommittees to focus on each of these four objectives and come up with a formal action plan.
Published on: April 12, 2021
By: Ignacio Laguarda