|
|
African American News
"An Inexcusable Gap - TV show to focus on the skill gap between black and white students in Chicago Public Schools"
[Previous entry: "Hip-Hop Caucus Supreme Justice National Bus Tour"] [Next entry: "Hater-ation in the African American community - commentary by Lucius Gantt"]
Presented by ABC 7 Chicagp Saturday, August 13th, 6-6:30 p.m. with an encore presentation Sunday, August 14th
“People, Places & Things,” the Emmy Award winning series hosted by ABC 7 Chicago’s Harry Porterfield, presents a compelling half-hour special, “An Inexcusable Gap,” on Saturday, August 13th, at 6:00 p.m. Produced by Deborah Gunn, the show is a televised “think-tank” focusing on the skill gap between black and white students in the Chicago Public Schools. The CPS system is the nation’s third-largest school district having 600 schools and serving 437,000 students, 37,503, or 8.8% of which are white and 212,502, 49.8% of which are black.
Results of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in 2004 for students in grades 3 through 8 showed a 40.3% gap in reading, with 34.4% of black students being at the national norm, while 74.7% of white students were at the national norm. In math, 36.2% of black students were at the national norm, while 78.1% of white students were at the national norm, meaning a gap of 41.9%.
In 1997 the reading gap was 35.5% and the math gap 36.9%. Suffice it to say, things aren’t getting better. A recent national study shows the average black 12th grade student has reading and math scores equal to that of the average with 8th grade student.
In recognition of this dilemma, Arne Duncan, CEO, Chicago Public Schools; Barbara Eason Watkins, Chief Education Officer, Chicago Public Schools; Carl C. Bell, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health, UIC, and President/CEO, Community Mental Health Council; Phillip Jackson, Founder, Black Star Project; Elaine Allensworth, Ph.D. Associate Director, Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago; and Sherrie Phillips, a teacher at John T. Pirie Fine Arts Academic Center will all take part in the “think-tank.” They will be joined by Hosea Sanders, Morning News Co-Anchor and Reporter, ABC 7 News, and Karen Jordan, Weekend News Anchor and Reporter, ABC 7 News.
“People, Places & Things: An Inexcusable Gap” is hosted by Harry Porterfield, Feature News Reporter, ABC 7 News and airs on Saturday, August 13th at 6 p.m., with an encore presentation on Sunday, August 14th at 11:30 a.m.
For more information please visit our website at www.abc7chicago.com.
|
|
Home
|