By FERMIN LEAL

The Orange County Register

FULLERTON – Helping California’s poor and minority student groups catch up with their peers will require partnerships between parents, educators, business and community leaders – including those like ones already in place in Orange County.

That was the general theme of today's summit discussions on finding solutions to the gap in achievement among Latinos, blacks, poor students and other minority groups, who often struggle academically when compared to whites and Asians.

“I believe this is the biggest civil rights challenge facing this generation,” said state Superintendent Jack O’Connell during the morning session. “This topic and discussion can be very difficult to have, but it’s a conversation we must have.”

More than 300 educators, business leaders, lawmakers, community activists, including Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, and county Superintendent William Habermehl, attended the “Addressing the Achievement Gap” summit at California State University, Fullerton.

“Having event likes this helps put the issue on the radar,” said Sal Tinajero, a teacher and debate team coach at Fullerton High School. “Hopefully this will help provide a starting point for some, and a point of extension for others already working hard on this issue.”

Tinajero, who also serves on the Santa Ana City Council, has been recognized for years for helping scores of Latinos and low-income students go on to college through his nationally recognized debate team.

Gap in scores persists

Speakers reviewed some of the statistics that highlight the achievement gap. For example, black students score on average 27 to 30 percentage points lower than white students statewide on state math and English tests. Latino students are outscored by white students on the same tests by an average of 21 to 31 percentage points.

In Orange County, white and Asian student groups outscored low-income students, Latinos and other minority groups by an average of 15 to 30 percentage points on state tests.

The gap in scores has also remained stagnant over the past 10 years, despite efforts to improve achievement.

Panelists spoke about the need to provide greater access for quality preschool especially in urban communities. They also emphasized providing a safe school environment, developing a stronger professional development program for teachers, raising expectations for students, and finding success stories to serve as examples.

But they also admitted the state's financial crisis has hindered the ability to implement some of these efforts. Schools are being hurt by larger class sizes, and fewer librarians, counselors, music and art programs, bus routes and other services, they said.

Sanchez said quality of teachers in classroom contributes to student success as much as any other single factor. She said she supports merit pay because it would improve teacher quality.

“I strongly believe that there are some very strong teachers, but others are just there to get by,” Sanchez said. “We need to think about honoring the teacher, paying the teacher, and having teaching be a very competitive process.”

Royce said the funding system for education should be reevaluated to allow schools to have more control over how dollars are spent. Local principals know best how to spend state and federal dollars to improve student achievement, he said.

Local programs in place

Wallace Walrod, vice president of economic development for the Orange County Business Council, said the business community has a vested interest in improving achievement of all local students because “today’s children are tomorrow’s work force.”

Walrod spoke about the council’s Latino Education Attainment Initiative, a program started five years ago with partners including the Register to encourage parental participation in education in Latino communities. The initiative now has more than 20 parent-led coalitions in 90 predominately Latino neighborhoods throughout the county, he said.

Other successful programs discussed include Santa Ana Unified School District’s Middle College High, a magnet-type school that allows mostly low-income Latino students to enroll in college courses while attending high school. Each year, students at the campus earn among the highest scores in the county on the state’s High School Exit Exam and other standardized tests.

Juan Sepulveda, with the federal government’s White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, spoke about the programs President Obama’s administration is working on to improve achievement. They include an increase in Pell Grants and federal student loans; an initiative to pay teachers more, or forgive their loans, to work in urban schools; and the Dream Act, which allows undocumented high school graduates to attend college with the opportunity to earn permanent residency.

Valerie Padilla, a parent and PTA member from Anaheim High, said she heard a lot of good ideas from the summit that she will take back to her community.

“There is clearly no magic bullet,” she said. “But there were some good examples of things that are working at different places. But the most important thing I learned is that we need to continue to shine a bright light on this achievement gap if we expect change.”

Contact the writer: 714-704-3773 or fleal@ocregister.com