That’s the conclusion of a report from the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA), which represents the state’s locally elected school board members. The report is specifically aimed at helping school boards with policies and strategies to close the "achievement gap" for poor and minority students in Washington’s public schools.

Closing the Achievement Gap: A Policy Action Guide for Washington State’s School Directors, is the result of 22 months of work by the WSSDA Ad Hoc Achievement Gap Task Force. The task force, comprised of school directors from a variety of school districts around the state, spent more than 150 hours studying the achievement gap and developing recommendations on what school boards can do to raise achievement levels among student groups that are not meeting standards – primarily African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students, students from low income families, and English language learner (ELL) students.

The report emphasizes that there is ample evidence that schools can close the achievement gap. It cites state and national research identifying a significant number of schools that have successfully closed the gap despite having high percentages of students of poverty, high racial minority enrollments, and high percentages of ELL learners.

Underscoring the governance and policy-making role of school boards, the guide contains more than 40 suggestions for school district policies and procedures to close the gap, grouped in nine key issue areas. Among the principal policy suggestions:

• School districts must direct resources to those with the greatest need and implement strategies to accelerate the learning of students who are underachieving.
• Closing the gap requires finding ways to close the "readiness gap" so that no children enter kindergarten significantly behind their peers.
• Serious attention must be given to creating learning environments that are tolerant and have high expectations for all students, free of racism and exclusion.
• All students, especially low achieving and disadvantaged students, must be taught by highly qualified staff in personalized learning environments.
• Curriculum and teaching practices must recognize differences in ethnicity, language, and culture, and teachers must be skilled in teaching students unlike themselves.
• Schools cannot close the achievement gap alone. Participation by parents and the community is essential to closing the gap.

The report provides context and background for each key policy issue, a set of questions to guide discussions, and examples of how districts in Washington are addressing the issue. Also included are references and Internet resource links.

The report also offers recommendations for other key policy makers, including those involved in higher education, family support and literacy, early childhood education, and K-12 education.