Opinion
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California's academic achievement problem  misstated.

California Superintendent of Schools Jack O'Connell addressed the issue of an academic achievement gap between racial and ethnic groups in his 2007 state of education speech. His raced-based perspective on the issue confuses and complicates the problem. When the government reports an achievement gap based on race and ethnicity, it defines those traits as shaping learning ability.

O'Connell reinforced this presumption with this stated goal. He "will lead an intensive effort to find ways to close the achievement gap that exists between successful students who are often white or Asian and financially well off, and struggling students who are too often poor, Hispanic, African American, or disabled."

O'Connell's statement leaves out negative references to those white or Asian students who are poor and struggling—40% White and 36% Asian students tested below proficient in English and 47% White and 33% Asian student scored below proficient in Math. In addition, it ignores those students with African or Spanish ancestors who scored above proficient, about 29%.

A more honest statement by O'Connell should have been that he will search to find ways to close the achievement gap between successful students and struggling students. It is not logical or honest to make the high failure rates of White and Asian seem insignificant only because they failed in lower percentages than African-American and Hispanic groups. The consequences for failing students are the same.

O'Connell contradicted his race-based achievement gap theory in another part of his speech about low test scores for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Only 8 and 10% of deaf students test proficient in English and Math respectively. Those rates are 10 and 18% for hard-of-hearing students. Nevertheless, O'Connell concluded, "If hearing loss, in and of itself, caused academic failure, then all students with hearing loss would be failing, and they are not."

Probably you can see where I'm going with this line of thinking. Some hearing students from all racial/ethnic groups passed English-language and math at the proficient level too. Therefore, to remain logically consistent, O'Connell should have decided that race or ethnicity, in and of itself, did not cause academic failure or success. Then, it follows logically and ethically that he would have edited from his speech all references to racial and ethnicity academic achievement gaps.

The government found that deaf and hard-of-hearing students fail in high rates because of language problems. Children with hearing loss born to deaf parents normally do well academically, because they learn American Sign Language Skills from their deaf parents who know it. However, ninety percent of children with hearing loss are born to hearing parents with no experience with deafness. This accounts for those students' low language and communication skills if they and their parents do not receive early language instruction. Statistics show that children with a hearing loss have the same potential to succeed academically as hearing students do when they receive intensive early exposure to language instruction, spoken and/or sign.

The language skills of parents also affect children born without a hearing problem. Most students who fail academically at the elementary and secondary level have poor English-Language skills. Language skills include knowledge of word definitions and knowledge of culture. Language skills are learned.

All of children's communication with their parents is a language and cultural learning experience. Children have an advantage academically when they are born to parents with good English-language skills. They enter school with good English-Language skills. In addition, school learning and home learning complement each other. This home environment adds many points to students test scores.

On the other hand, African-Americans and Hispanics make school learning harder for their children as do white and Asian parents who promote other than American culture at home. Their children enter a foreign cultural world in school even if their parents are well educated. Their school learning is not an extension of home learning as with other Americans. Many students do well academically, despite this distraction. However, their potential for failing is greater and a higher percentage of them do fail, especially those students from families with poor English-Language skills and other problems associated with low-income.

I refer to African-American and Hispanic as cultural perspectives that some Americans adopt and not as racial labels. Not all native born Americans with African or Spanish ancestors adopt those cultural perspectives. Therefore, school officials should not address or classify students by race or ethnicity. Instead, they should evaluate and instruct students as individuals and not as racial and ethnic stereotypes.

California schools should teach American culture and enforce uniform discipline and academic standards. They should enroll students with poor English-Language and math skills in intensive remedial classes until they test proficient.

Kenneth Brooks is a freelance writer and speaker. Contact him at P.O. Box 882, Vallejo, CA 94590. opinion@ethicalego.com