At a recent forum sponsored by Foundation for a College Education (FCE), John Merrow turned the tables on himself. Seated in a swivel chair, the award-winning journalist and expert on K-12 and higher education subjected himself to the kinds of questions he typically reserves for others.
In a talk titled “Achievement Gap, Achievement Trap?” delivered March 14, at the FCE’s 6th Annual Higher Education Forum at the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto, Merrow explored the factors that result in differential achievement outcomes for students, and how race, ethnicity, and social class affect student expectations, opportunities, and achievement.
Question Number One: What’s been the impact of No Child Left Behind? “It proved that Washington can’t run public education,” Merrow responded to himself. “The federal government “messed it up from the get-go. Command and control just won’t work,” Merrow said.
He agreed that national standards are needed, have little to do with smaller class sizes or longer days. The most successful school district, he said, hire the best teachers and give them the training in the first year. “Tell them where they’re supposed to end up and equip them with the tools.” In a word, Merrow said, “trust the teacher.”
In defining the term “Achievement Gap,” he noted that there are in fact, three gaps: opportunity, expectations and affection, which he said, “lead inevitably to an outcomes gap. But focusing on outcomes almost exclusively is counterproductive,” Merrow said.
On what he call an ‘affection gap’, Merrow said, “ Society does not particularly care about other people’s children.” On the expectations gap, Merrow conceded that the idea of “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” a phrase often used by the Bush Administration to justify its No Child Left Behind policy, is powerful and real.
When he asked (himself) if the United States spends too much on education, Merrow said the percentage of our gross domestic product (GDP) is actually declining. “In 1980 it was about nine percent; today it is about five percent. As a percentage of total government expenditures, it has declined since 1980 from 28 percent to 15 percent,” he said.
He noted however, that the Bush Administration has actually been supportive of Congressional efforts to make higher education funds available. Pell grants are up. There are merit scholarships at the federal level and in many states. He pointed to specialized programs such as the “TEACH Grant, “ which provides scholarships of up to $4,000 a year to certain prospective teachers who agree to work in schools serving low-income students, and loan forgiveness programs for highly qualified math, science and special education teachers working in high poverty communities. Still, he said. “We’re still far behind where we were during the Johnson Administration, when a Pell Grant paid about 80 percent of the cost of tuition at a state institution.”
When asked by a member of the audience about the role of parents, Merrow said,
“They’re already sending their best children to school.” He advised parents to take the television out of the bedroom, noting that 40 percent of students have TV sets in their bedrooms. “If possible, provide a place where kids can do their work. Talk to them about what’s going on with them, but don’t do their papers for them. Set the tone. The first time something good happens, send a note to the teachers and teachers should do the same,” he answered.
His advice to students? “Form a posse,” a learning community on campus so that they can challenge themselves intellectually, but not go it alone. “Get to know students who are smarter than you and take some risks,” he said.
“If you’re heading off to college, you should get advice and counsel from organizations like this one,” Merrow concluded. “It’s pretty obvious that FCE is doing important work,” he said, noting with a smile that since as a journalist he can’t give opinions, “these are just facts.”
Merrow’s “interview” was followed by remarks from Tenisha Harrell, an FCE alumna who graduated from Scripps College last May. Harrell, who participated in FCE while attending Woodside High School, was a junior at Xavier University in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. With the help of her church and continued support from FCE, she was able to transfer to Scripps, which she described as “warm and welcoming.” Harrell, who works with San Mateo County’s Children’s Receiving Home, thanked the FCE staff and told current FCE students that the hours they put in now will pay off. “You just have to hang in there,” she said. “Let us all continue to support FCE and the work they do.”
Anna Waring, FCE’s executive director, echoed that sentiment. FCE sent its first student to college in 1999, she noted and since then, 28 students have graduated from college, 45 are still in college. Five have earned graduate degrees and three currently are in graduate school.
“Our commitment to community change is beginning to show results in important ways. We have a program that works because so many of you have made FCE’s mission your own,” Waring told the audience.
About Foundation for a College Education
FCE was established to promote college access for students who have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education. Since 1995, FCE has helped over 200 underrepresented students prepare for college. By providing students and families in East Palo Alto with the tools they need to navigate the college admissions process, we are influencing the entire community to believe that higher education is within their reach. Please visit www.collegefoundation.org for programmatic details and additional information.
Media Contact: Foundation for a College Education, 2160 Euclid Avenue, East Palo Alto, CA 94303, Telephone (650) 322-5048; Fax (650) 327-9977