Comments on: AAPS Gets Update on Achievement Gap

By: Ian

Ian — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:29:02 +0000

Mr. Singleton and PEG’s consulting has not only failed in Ann Arbor but in every single district they have been whether they be high performing, average performing, or low performing. He gets quite angry when asked to produce data showing his consulting has produced results somewhere, or anywhere. No data are forthcoming but just look at any of the places PEG has been. They all still have a gaping gap.

The cause of the gap? According to Mr. Singleton it is institutional racism. The solution? More consulting “work”. In these times of shrinking resources, consulting fees such as this should be the very first to be cut. Instead, use the money to reduce class size, improve instruction, lengthen the school day, or any of a number of proven ways to lessen the gap.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:28:39 +0000

I suppose it never occurs to school administrators that the gap, which has persisted for decades, might reflect differences in abilities and attitudes among subsets of the student population. Data that you do not like sometimes mean something. Eventually the gap will probably be closed not by bringing up the people at the bottom but by humiliating and alienating the people at the top.

By: lorie

lorie — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:25:20 +0000

I appreciate this reporting on this issue. As I compare to the articles written elsewhere, they seem to be missing significant facts.

That being said, color me unimpressed with Mr. Singleton and his PEG. His one-size fits all top-down dictates don’t really fit for “All”. If his “courageous” concepts can’t be adapted to an otherwise high successful district, then maybe he approach isn’t appropriate for that school system.

I have worked as a consultant before and the idea that the customer failed to perform and therefor needs more of the same consulting is folly.

By: fridgeman

fridgeman — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:54:26 +0000

Well done article. It would have benefited from a link back to this one from last year [link] which explored some interesting questions on how to define what the "gap" really is. I disagree with Singleton's blanket statement that "black and brown kids always seem to end up on the bottom". I have been a parent in the AA schools for 9 years now and I actually observe that it is the "brown kids" who are consistently on top - raising the specter of a second achievement gap that I never hear discussed.