McGraw-Hill Assembles Panel of Education Experts Will Address the Achievement Gap In U.S. Public Schools

What disparities exist between the achievement of black students and other racial and ethnic groups in America's public schools, and what steps do you take to close that achievement gap? That will be the focus of an expert panel assembled by SRA/McGraw-Hill and Wright Group/McGraw-Hill for this year's National Alliance of Black School Educators' (NABSE) Annual Conference in Atlanta. The panel session will take place on Nov. 20.

James Demery, Ph.D., director of product research for SRA/McGraw-Hill and Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, is helping to coordinate the panel along with Joy Mordica, Ph.D. and education researcher at Westat, a corporation that provides research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as businesses, foundations, and state and local governments. The panel session is entitled "Closing All the Gaps: A Discussion of Strategies for Change in Education."

"We believe the cause of the achievement gap is multifaceted and that a multifaceted approach is necessary for us to begin to address issues that will impact the achievement of black students," Demery said.

This discussion featuring multiple perspectives will develop awareness of issues as well as lay the foundation for follow-up activities throughout the coming year.

"We hope that guests of the NABSE conference will take away from this discussion expected recommendations for strategies to address the achievement gap, ideas for tracking the progress toward closing the gaps, and identification of issues surrounding resources and policies that impact achievement," Demery explained.

"The panel's goal is to keep the national focus on strategies for improving student achievement for groups whose issues are only visible through disaggregating the collective performance data," said Dan Caton, president of SRA and Wright Group. "NABSE is acutely focused on the achievement of African American children and both Wright Group and SRA support their efforts in much the same way we have supported other groups like the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and TODOS whose focus is Latino children. In our effort to produce the very best curriculum for all children, we seek out opportunities to support and disseminate research that suggests effective strategies for increasing student achievement."

Panelists who will make presentations during the session include:

-- James Demery, Ph.D., Director of Product Research, SRA/McGraw-Hill and Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, Columbus, Ohio

-- Chris Domaleski, Ph.D., Assessment Consultant, National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Dover, New Hampshire

-- Deanna Hill, J.D., Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst, West Winds Education Policy, Inc., Iowa City, Iowa

-- John Jackson, J.D., Ph.D., President & CEO, The Schott Foundation for Public Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts

-- Jeff Livingston, Senior Vice President of Marketing, SRA/McGraw-Hill and Wright Group/McGraw-Hill, Columbus, Ohio

-- Joy Mordica, Ph.D., Education Researcher, Westat, Rockville, Maryland

-- Circe Stumbo, President, West Wind Education Policy, Inc., Iowa City, Iowa

Ernest H. White, Jr., D.Min., School Board Member, Spartanburg County School District No. 7, Spartanburg, South Carolina, will be the discussant, and the panel will be facilitated by:

-- Cory S. Anderson, Senior Program Associate - Community & Economic Development, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Little Rock, Arkansas

-- Jeffrey T. Taylor, Ph.D., Professional School Counselor, Memphis City Schools, Tennessee

To learn more about the NABSE 2008 Annual Conference, visit NABSE.org/conference.

About McGraw-Hill Education

SRA/McGraw-Hill is the top provider of specialized research-based educational programs and professional development for the elementary market. Leading programs include SRA Imagine It! reading program, Direct Instruction, SRA Number Worlds, additional core and supplemental programs. For more information on SRA/McGraw-Hill's products, call 1-888-SRA-4543 and visit SRAonline.com.

Wright Group/McGraw-Hill publishes innovative core and supplemental literacy and mathematics programs for differentiated instruction and teacher training in Grades Pre-K-8. The research-based approach is anchored in real- world applications and is based on the assessed needs of students, combining developmentally appropriate materials with explicit outcomes. For more information on Wright Group's products, call 1-800-648-2970 or visit WrightGroup.com.

SRA and Wright Group are part of McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment, and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 60 languages. Additional information is available at MHeducation.com.

  Contacts:  Tom Stanton
             McGraw-Hill Education               Paul Werth Associates
             (212) 904-3214                      (614) 224-8114 Ext. 236
             tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com         mmetzger@paulwerth.com

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SOURCE: McGraw-Hill Education

CONTACT: Tom Stanton
McGraw-Hill Education
(212) 904-3214
tom_stanton@mcgraw-hill.com
or
Paul Werth Associates
(614) 224-8114 Ext. 236
mmetzger@paulwerth.com

Web site: http://www.mheducation.com/
http://nabse.org/conference
http://sraonline.com/
http://wrightgroup.com/