Communities of Color: A Critical Perspective in the Common Standards Movement Issue Brief
American high school students are facing an unprecedented crisis. The demand for a meaningful high school education is at an all-time high as the 21st century economy requires a work force of highly trained individuals who can compete in the global marketplace. Meanwhile, graduation rates are at an all-time low. Of incoming ninth graders, a third will drop out, while another third will graduate without college- and work-readiness skills.
This shocking and unacceptable trends is more drastic among students of color. African American, Latino, and Native American high school students have at best a six in ten chance of graduating from high school on time with a regular diploma. And contrary to the model minority myth, many Asian Americans also face barriers in education. For example, about half of adult Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans have less than a high school education.
Our nation's ability to remain a global competitor depends on teach all students well. We can start now.
Setting common academic standards offers tremendous potential in addressing the achievement gap and dropout crisis facing the nation. Specifically, high-quality common standards could:
- ensure that all students, regardless of ZIP code, income, race, or ethnicity, will be taught to and held to the same, high standards that are aligned to college and work expectations;
- ensure that all students have access to high-quality educational content, supports, and opportunities that research demonstrates are essential to ensure post-secondary success;
- all parents and caregivers to more effectively assess their children's progress and compare their children's education with the education of children in other communities, states and nations; and
- free up resources to create high-quality and rich assessments that can accurately and reliably measure the progress of every student
The standards discussion is particularly important to the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), because students of color are disproportionately affected by low academic standards. A recent study compared students' score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)-and exam administered nationally based on high standards and internationally benchmarked-with their scores on state assessments. While almost all states employ standards and assessments that are less rigorous than NAEP, those with above-average variation in scores are located disproportionately in the South, Southwest, and far West states with a disproportionate share of low-income, non-white, and English-learning students. These students, a growing proportion of the U.S. population, are simply not being adequately prepared for college and work.