Over eighty educators, policymakers, and stakeholders involved in the education of culturally diverse students gathered June 25 on Capitol Hill to discuss culturally based teaching practices as a methodology for closing the achievement gap between students of color and white students in America’s public schools. The event was hosted by the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a coalition of national organizations representing communities of color that believe high schools must have the capacity and motivation to prepare every student for graduation, college, work, and life.

Nearly seventy educators, policymakers, and other key stakeholders from the education and policy communities gathered on March 26, 2008 to discuss the need to collect and use accurate and reliable data in educational decisionmaking. The event was sponsored by Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) and hosted by the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE).

America’s public schools enroll more than five million English language learners (ELLs). Primarily native-born U.S. citizens, they make up the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. student population, with the highest growth occurring in grades seven through twelve. However, while English language learners may be growing in number, they are being left behind in other respects. On the 2007 National Assessment for Educational Progress, only 4 percent of eighth-grade ELLs scored at or above “proficient” compared to 31 percent of non-ELL students. Without the right academic supports, these students are at especially high risk of leaving school without a diploma or the skills needed for success in college, work, and life.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) sought to make accountability for the academic performance of all students a cornerstone of education reform—which is particularly important to communities of color. But because that accountability failed to meaningfully include graduation rates, America’s high school students continue to be left behind. Currently, NCLB neither ensures that graduation rates are calculated consistently and accurately nor does it require them to be disaggregated and increased. Today, this lack of graduation rate accountability hides the real crisis in America’s educational system—one that is disproportionately hurting students of color.

The Campaign for High School Equity, the only coalition of leading civil rights groups to focus on high school education reform, today sent an urgent message to Congress: An improved version of The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) must be reauthorized in 2008 or the U.S. will fail the 1.2 million students who do not graduate from high school each year, the majority of whom are students of color. The Campaign emphasized the steps required by Congress to strengthen and improve NCLB legislation, including implementing meaningful federal accountability for high schools and investing in turning around low-performing high schools.

Today, there is an education crisis in our nation’s high schools that is disproportionately affecting students of color. Thirty percent of high school students who enter the ninth grade fail to graduate with their peers. Another third do graduate, but without the skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education, which has become indispensable to earning a living wage. Graduation rates are even lower for students of color.