Underrepresented Groups Make Gains in Mathematics

July 7, 2010 

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) has issued three reports on the performances of African American, Latino, and Asian American students on state mathematics and reading tests.

According to an official release by CEP: "The reports examine trends since 2002 in the percentages of students in each of the ethnic/racial group studied that reached the proficient level on state tests, the achievement gaps between each of the three subgroups and white students, and the performance of these students on 2008 state tests. The reports also explore possible policy implications for the achievement trends."

CEP is a Washington-based nonpartisan and nonprofit group that studies student achievement and public school performance.

The three reports are titled:

"A Call to Action to Raise Achievement for African American Students"

"Improving Achievement for the Growing Latino Population Is Critical to the Nation's Future"

"Policy Implications of Trends for Asian American Students"

Several education officials have found the reports controversial, especially in Hawaii. According to an article in The Star Advertiser, "the study spotlights Hawaii as one of four states where Asian-American students had notably lower achievement on state tests than their white peers, bucking a national trend."

In an interview with The Advertiser, Wade Araki, principal of Benjamin Parker Elementary School in Kaneohe, said the study might be applicable in other states, but with Hawaii's big population of Asian-Americans the data may be skewed.

According to the article, "About 14 percent of public school students in Hawaii are white, while 61.6 percent are Asian-American, according to the DOE."

Source: The Center on Education Policy; The Star Advertiser (June 30, 2010)