The Manchester Board of School Committee’s resolution to address systemic and institutional racism does not go far enough. In fact, it doesn’t address one of the most important factors plaguing the school district- -illiteracy.
Related: Politicking by Nashua North and South High School Principals
There was no resolution to close the achievement gap but instead, Manchester continues to use an education-model that has been shown to widen the gap.
If you look at historical data, there was a shift away from a knowledge-based education model to a skills-based model several years ago. New Hampshire law requires schools in New Hampshire to use the Competency-Based Education model in all public schools. Competency-Based Education is a skills-based model.
Dr. E.D. Hirsch, the founder of Core Knowledge and champion of literacy in public education, addressed this problem in his paper titled, “Narrowing the two Achievement Gaps.” Hirsch explained how a shift to a skills-based education model, widens the achievement gap. He presented data comparing Massachusetts to Connecticut schools and showed that it was advantageous to send your child to a Massachusetts school because they used the knowledge-based model.
Since then, education reformers ushered in Common Core and Competency-Based Education. This paradigm shift moved public schools away from the knowledge-based model that elevates literacy for all students and narrows the achievement gap.
Hirsch also addressed the importance of vocabulary and reading, which is paramount to improving literacy. When you move away from a focus on knowledge, it puts all students at a disadvantage and contributes to the widening of the achievement gap.
Unfortunately, Manchester Proud, grant organizations, and administrators continue to ignore this problem. Dr. Goldhart brought up the bigotry of low expectations but never addressed where that comes from. If he’s going to partner with community organizers that continue to push reforms that widen the achievement gap, isn’t that part of the problem?
More money will not fix the problem if you do not go directly to the root. Until there is a call for a return to literacy and a knowledge-based model, the children who come to school in need of a quality education will continue to fall through the cracks. That hurts the minority students that they say they are trying to reach.