4.1.2012 from Omaha: Madison Superintendent Dan Nerad: Narrowing gap a work in progress in Madison

Joe Dejka:

The push to raise achievement for minority and low-income students in Madison Metropolitan School District remains "a work in progress," said Superintendent Daniel Nerad.

Work has been done on Nerad's watch, such as drafting a new strategic plan and a multifaceted, $106 million proposal for programs aimed at shrinking test score gaps between students of different races and income levels.

As for results, Nerad and Madison school board member Ed Hughes say there hasn't been enough progress.

"We certainly haven't seen, overall, the kind of improvement that we would like to see in reducing the achievement gap," Hughes said. "But we need to look at whether the steps are being put in place that would give us some hope or confidence that we will see those gaps narrowing in the future."

Hughes thinks Madison is on the right track.

Related:

• Student test scores show Madison lags state in cutting achievement gap
• Wisconsin, Mississippi Have "Easy State K-12 Exams" - NY Times
• The Death of WKCE? Task Force to Develop "Comprehensive Assessment System for Wisconsin"
• Schools should not rely on only WKCE data to gauge progress of individual students or to determine effectiveness of programs or curriculum"
• Superintendent Dan Nerad's achievement gap plan.
• 60% to 42%: Madison School District's Reading Recovery Effectiveness Lags "National Average": Administration seeks to continue its use

In my view, the status quo approach to Madison's long lived reading challenges refutes Mr. Hughes assertion that the District is on the right track. Matt DeFour's article:

Overall student performance improved in math and dipped slightly in reading across Wisconsin compared with last year, while in Madison scores declined in all tested subjects.

Perhaps change is indeed coming, from a state level initiative on reading.

A look at the numbers:

Omaha spends substantially less per student than Madison. The Omaha 2011-2012 adopted budget will spend 468,946,264 for 46,000 students: $10,194.48/student. Madison's 2011-2012 budget spends $369,394,753 for 24,861 = $14,858.40/student, 31.4% more than Omaha.... Green Bay (Superintendent Nerad's former position) spent about 10% less than Madison, per student.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 1, 2012 6:02 AM
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