DeKalb County's three finalists for school superintendent are using the same sales pitch to land the top job -- a track record of shrinking the test score gap between minority and white students.
Gloria Davis of Decatur Public Schools in Illinois, Arthur R. Culver of Champaign School District in Illinois and Lillie M. Cox of Hickory Public Schools in North Carolina are sitting superintendents in smaller systems selected as finalists because of their experience leading districts with similar demographics. The DeKalb school board plans to make a final decision in the coming weeks.
But an examination of test data from the candidates' home districts shows minority students are still struggling academically, despite some areas of improvement.
Davis, who has led Decatur for the past five years, cites her success boosting the district’s high school graduation rate and increasing the number of Advanced Placement courses offered in the 8,700-student district.
At 92.4 percent, Decatur’s graduation rate is higher than the state average and up from 87.7 percent in 2008. Black students are completing school at a higher rate than their white classmates, and at a higher percentage than their peers statewide.
But test results show Decatur’s black students are not graduating as prepared for college as white students in the district. According to scores on the ACT, the college-readiness exam Illinois students take, the percentage of black students who tested “college ready” on the national exam trailed whites by double digits in every category.
In 2010, 26 percent of Decatur’s black ACT test takers scored college ready in English, compared with 63 percent of white students. The test score gap between white and black students is wider in this subject than it was in 2007. The scores for white students increased, while those for black students dropped.
Alida Graham, who served eight years as president of the Decatur teachers union until 2008, said Davis has helped administrators focus on student achievement, but that she has created a culture where teachers are afraid to share their thoughts on what’s working and what isn’t.
“It’s all smoke and mirrors,” said Graham, who retired from teaching this year. “She’s out telling the community we’ve closed the achievement gap, but when you look at the data, we have not closed the achievement gap. It’s still a huge issue, but everyone is afraid to talk about it.”
Davis has been upfront with the problems at the high school level, and the district is working now to reform high schools, said Louise Stewart, president of the Community Foundation of Decatur/Macon County. Davis’ real mark can be seen at the elementary and middle school level, where students have shown steady improvement on state exams. Scores for black students were also improving at these grade levels.
“I think we still have some work to do in high schools,” Stewart said. “But she’s not afraid to recognize problems and do something about them. That’s been a real benefit to our community.”
About an hour east in Champaign, Ill., a district with 8,900 students, a similar academic story is playing out.
Arthur Culver’s nine years as superintendent in Champaign has been punctuated by the settlement of a 10-year-old federal consent decree, which centered on improving the education of black students. Culver also highlights the district’s success helping more black students complete high school, and increasing their math and reading scores in elementary and middle school -- claims that are supported by state academic data.
Champaign students routinely score higher than nearby Decatur students on standardized tests, but like Decatur, the district also struggles with ensuring black students graduate with the same “college ready” skills as their white counterparts.
Black students scored lower on the ACT than white students in every category, which suggests they will have a tougher time completing college-level courses. In 2010, 23 percent of Champaign’s black ACT test takers scored college ready in English, compared with 76 percent of white students. Asian students, which make up about 10 percent of the district’s population, outperformed white students in every subject.
The testing gap between white and black students was wider in 2010 than in 2007. The scores for both black and white students dropped.
Still, Culver has won praise from teachers union representatives, board members and academics at nearby University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"I have worked with the Champaign Schools, and I have observed its progress under Culver's leadership," said Kern Alexander, excellence professor of education policy, organization and leadership. "In my view, Culver has done an outstanding job in raising the quality of education for the children of the district. His many initiatives have transitioned the schools from the uncertainties of court-ordered unification to stability and rising standards."
Examining the academic record of North Carolina Superintendent Lillie Cox is challenging, since she has been leading Hickory Public Schools only since July 2009. It's her first time in the top job, and the district is the smallest of the three, with about 4,500 students.
In North Carolina, most students take the SAT rather than the ACT to determine college readiness. Students also take a different set of annual state tests, making it difficult to compare Hickory students to those from Illinois.
On the SAT, 2010 scores were reported from only one of two high schools, Hickory High. Students averaged a 1547, above the state average of 1485 but down from 1591 in 2009, according to a state report. Data broken down by race was not available.
On state exams, black students trailed white counterparts but showed some modest gains from 2008-09 to 2009-10. For example, scores for black students who took the state's end-of-course test for high school students jumped from 48.6 percent passing in 2008-09 to 57 percent in 2009-10. About 87 percent of white students passed in 2009-10.
Hickory City Council member Bruce Meisner said it's tough for a superintendent to make any major changes in two years, but Cox has done a good job of tweaking and improving programs that were already in place.
"She came in and really took control," said Meisner, who frequently volunteers in schools. "She's probably ruffled some feathers, but the feathers that needed to be ruffled."
DeKalb County Schools
Enrollment: 97,000
% Asian: 4
% Black: 72
% White: 10
% Hispanic: 11
% free/reduced lunch: 69
ACT composite: 18 (out of a possible 36)
SAT: 1328 (out of a possible 2400)
Source: 2009-10 report card
Decatur (Ill.) Public Schools
Enrollment: 8,700
% Asian: 0.9
% Black: 44.6
% White: 44.0
% Hispanic: 1.7
% multiracial: 8.5
% low-income: 69.5
ACT composite: 18.4 (out of a possible 36)
Source: 2010 Illinois district report card
Champaign (Ill.) School District
Enrollment: 8,900
% Asian: 9.9
% Black: 38.1
% White: 44.3
% Hispanic: 7.3
% low-income: 49.8
ACT composite: 21.4 (out of a possible 36)
Source: 2010 Illinois district report card
Hickory (N.C.) Public Schools
Enrollment: 4,440
% Asian: 5
% Black: 29.7
% White: 48.2
% Hispanic: 16.8
% free/reduced lunch: n/a
SAT: 1547 (out of a possible 2400)
Source: North Carolina State Board of Education
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