Excellence without equity is neither

11-02-2011

Commentary by Eric Witherspoon/Education Week

Eric Witherspoon is the superintendent of District 202, which comprises one school, Evanston Township High School, in Evanston, Ill.

There are many excellent public schools in the United States—schools that receive distinguished awards, produce students with perfect ACT scores, and send their graduates to elite institutions of higher education. Yet within these same schools, you can find students experiencing none of these things firsthand, many of them students of color and from low-income families. I know this because I am the superintendent of just such a school, and my school is working hard to erase these divisions. Through the years, educators and policymakers have used many means to address gaps in opportunity and achievement through programs designed to support students with lower achievement histories. Many efforts have spurred gains, but nowhere near enough. (more...)

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