Minnesota’s nearly worst-in-the-nation school achievement gap [i] spurred leaders in the African American Leadership Forum (AALF) to action. With closing that gap their top priority, leaders developed a commanding voice with which to approach lawmakers. Their message: Passing the alternative teacher licensing bill in Minnesota would be a good first step to ending this crisis.
“Alternative teacher licensing opens up the profession to qualified people from other industries who don’t have an education degree. We feel that it means a greater diversity in the teacher pool. That’s greatly needed, because right now in Minneapolis, 70 percent of the students are of color while only 11 percent of the teachers are minorities,” said Chris Stewart, a former Minneapolis school board member.
AALF members presented policymakers with research that pointed to an educational divide in Minnesota. During 2002-2009, only 44 percent of African American students graduated from high school, compared to 82 percent of white students. Fourth grade reading scores increased an average of one point for white students, but decreased an average of seven points for African American students during that same time.[ii]
“It’s a big issue; the graduation rate of African American students in Minnesota is one of the worst in the nation. The future vitality of the African American community and this region as a whole depends on our ability to eliminate this achievement gap,” said Dr. Robert Jones, senior vice president for System Academic Administration, University of Minnesota.
It was the AALF that provided a space where leaders developed this unified movement to solve problems in their own communities. In a show of solidarity rarely seen on African American issues at the Minnesota Capitol, they focused on influencing the state education commissioner and key lawmakers.
“Our mantra is to convene, collaborate and advocate,” said Jeffrey Hassan, an African American lawyer in Minneapolis. “To that end, we have met with legislators and collaborated with other groups and organizations.”
The AALF was gratified to see the 2011 legislature pass the alternative teacher licensing bill into law. However, the group’s work is far from done.
“Our group has identified five gaps that drive the overall achievement gap: a preparation gap, a belief gap, a time gap, a teaching gap and a leadership gap,” said Kim Nelson, a senior vice president at General Mills. “We are championing local and national best practices that will end these disparities.”
The AALF Education and Lifelong Learning Work Group is now exploring a community engagement model called “STRIVE,” which focuses on a cradle-to-career continuum that aims to reach specific objectives along the way. That model has proven effective in closing the education achievement gap in Cincinnati, Ohio, and may hold promise for Minnesota’s future as well.
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Report: "A Crisis in our Community: Closing the Five Education Gaps
[i] A Crisis in Our Community: Why We Must Close the Achievement Gap Now,” African American Leadership Forum Education and Life-Long Learning Work Group Position Paper, page 1.
[ii] “A Crisis in Our Community: Why We Must Close the Achievement Gap Now,” African American Leadership Forum Education and Life-Long Learning Work Group Position Paper, page 1.
