Minority Students Stand To Benefit From Academic Standards Reform

WASHINGTON — The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a coalition of civil rights organizations focused on high school education reform, applauds the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) for forwarding the action on higher academic standards for all by releasing draft common core standards in math and English language arts for K-12 education. Students of color and Native students are disproportionately affected by today’s inconsistent system of academic standards, which has resulted in wide variation in the quality, rigor, and appropriateness of standards from state to state.

High and rigorous common standards are a critical first step in reforming the American educational system.  While there are many elements that must change to solve the crisis in our schools, CHSE is confident that common standards will have a strong positive effect on the students most in need. However, communities of color must be meaningful partners in the development, implementation, evaluation, and validation phases of setting common standards.

 “If developed and implemented equitably, high-quality common standards will significantly benefit all students,” said Michael Wotorson, CHSE’s executive director. “We support NGA/CCSSO efforts to continue engaging a broad range of organizations and experts in the development of common standards, and we look forward to their receptivity to ongoing input from the communities represented by CHSE partners. Standards that do not take the unique needs of students of color and Native students into account could miss the mark and ultimately do a disservice to communities across the country.”

CHSE is a coalition of leading civil rights organizations representing communities of color that is focused on high school education reform. Members include the National Urban League, National Council of La Raza, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, League of United Latin American Citizens, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Indian Education Association, and Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. 

CHSE is a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Contact:

Jorge Sanz-Fuertes, (202) 248-5463

jsanz@vancomm.com