Closing the Achievement Gap in Berkeley

KQED's Forum recently did a piece about Berkeley High School's science lab courses. Apparently, BHS holds science labs for basic science courses after regular school hours. It is incredible to me that a core component of an academic subject has been relegated to an after school time slot. The program explained that this has been done in order to better access money that will help to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color at BHS.

This was my response, one that was read on-air during Forum:

I am saddened that students' science lab experience has been relegated to an after school activity, and am incensed that it's even being considered that they be cut. Denying students this basic learning experience not only puts them at an incredible disadvantage when it comes to school achievement, it puts them on unequal ground with other students who have access to such resources. Science education is not a luxury, and cuts to science education will only increase the achievement gap. This may not be evident by the data being used, because many standardized tests do not measure science content. We need to move past using STAR tests as a measure of student achievement, take a more holistic view of what education means, and support the achievement of all students in all content areas. Do not cut core academic resources for underperforming students; doing so can only increase the achievement gap.

If we want to close the achievement gap, we need to give more instructional time to core academic subjects for all students, not take it away or relegate it to an after-school timeslot.