Tag: Achievement Gap

  • Many Latino, African-American Students Opting Out of AP Classes

    By Megan Burks The San Diego Unified School District surveyed its 11th- and 12th-graders this year and found nearly 2,000 students who would do well in advanced placement courses but haven’t enrolled. The high school classes offer college credit and a competitive edge. That gap is more pronounced among Latinos and African-Americans. A third of…

  • City Heights Program Works to Get Kids to School On Time

    Video Credit: Brian Myers, Media Arts Center San Diego By Megan Burks Students and parents of Adams Elementary School in Normal Heights are huddled on the playground around Principal Sylvia McGrade for an early-morning assembly. “Good morning, Adams Elementary!” McGrade said. The kids shouted their greeting back in unison. They’re especially energetic despite the hour.…

  • How a San Diego Charter School Beat the Odds (The Answer Might Surprise You)

    Video Credit: Katie Schoolov, KPBS By Megan Burks Third-graders at America’s Finest Charter School settle in on the floor around their teacher, Cassandra Tinyo, for story time. But first, Tinyo reviews what to listen for and later replicate. They’ll soon have to write stories of their own. “So we have a hook. It gets the…

  • Mid-City School Scores Highest Among Low-Income Schools On State Test

    America’s Finest Charter School students eat pizza at a 2013 party celebrating their reading achievements. | Photo Courtesy of America’s Finest Charter School By Megan Burks Nearly 80 percent of third graders at America’s Finest Charter School in Chollas View scored at or above standards on the language arts portion of the California Assessment of…

  • Suspensions, Expulsions Down In San Diego Schools

    A student runs up stairs at Monroe Clark Middle School in City Heights. | Photo Credit: Cecia, The AjA Project By Megan Burks A new law aiming to limit school discipline measures that take students out of class went into effect Jan. 1. But new data from the California Department of Education shows districts have…