posted on
MinnCAN: The Minnesota Campaign for Achievement Now today released its annual “State of Minnesota Public Education” report revealing Minnesota’s achievement gaps are largely stagnant and low-income students and students of color continue to rank near the bottom of the nation.
“The report reveals a persistence of decades-long disparities which continue to cast a dark shadow over a prosperous future for our state,” said MinnCAN Executive Director Daniel Sellers. “Our embarrassing achievement gap is nothing new, but our research reveals that the rest of the nation is outpacing us in elevating student learning among students of color and low-income students – even the Deep South. Our annual report is one of the most comprehensive sources of Minnesota education information and we invite you to use this one-stop-shop tool as a resource.”
Please click here to access the full online version of the 2013 “State of Minnesota Public Education” report.
Our report shows that we fail to teach many:
- Black and Latino eighth-graders trail 37 percentage points behind their white peers in math.
- Low-income eighth-graders are 32 percentage points behind more affluent students.
- Only half of black and Latino students graduate from high school.
By a few accounts, there are gains to celebrate:
- From 2011 to 2012, Minnesota showed minor progress in addressing some achievement gaps, including those between black, Latino, and Native American students and their white peers.
- Over the past five years, Minnesota’s ACT participation has remained steady and the number of students who are college-ready across all four subject areas has risen to 36 percent – more than 10 points above the national percentage.
“Our achievement gaps are a regressive trend where educational disparities prohibit most students of color and low-income students from having opportunities to succeed in life,” continued Sellers. “The state of our public education should embolden state leaders to drive swift, meaningful change so all children can access great public schools, and graduate college- and career-ready.”
In the coming weeks MinnCAN will unveil its policy priorities for the 2013 legislative session and School & District Report Cards.
For interviews with Daniel Sellers, contact Nicholas Banovetz at: (651) 815-5999 or nicholas.banovetz@minncan.org.
###
About MinnCAN: Launched in January 2011, MinnCAN: The Minnesota Campaign for Achievement Now is an education reform advocacy nonprofit. MinnCAN is building a movement of Minnesotans dedicated to creating the political will to enact smart public policies to ensure that every Minnesota child has access to a great public school. Learn more at www.minncan.org.