An ‘A’ district for some, a significant achievement gap for others

While Pinellas County Schools is an “A” district for some, far too many Black scholars lag behind, and all involved must do better in order to alter the course.

BY GOLIATH J. DAVIS, III, Ph.D. | Contributor

PINELLAS COUNTY — I am fully aware that some will read this column and say, “Here he goes again running down the school district.”  And my response is a simple one. As a member of Concerned Organizations for the Quality Education of Black Students (COQEBS), who worked to frame the current court order and sat at the mediation table to negotiate the current Bridging the Gap Plan, I am duty-bound to hold the district accountable.

So, as district administrators and board members gleefully celebrate the news that the Pinellas School District has attained “A” status, the question COQEBS is obliged to ask: “How are our Black scholars fairing in schools that comprise the district?” The answer, of course, is not very well. Yet, district administrators and board members are not actively engaged in public declarations of this fact.

One of the district’s stated goals is 100 percent student success. The sole purpose of the district’s Bridging the Gap Plan is to improve Black educational proficiency at a level and rate that will eliminate the gross disparities between Black scholars as a group and white scholars. The plan has been in effect for eight years, and all agree there has not been any significant progress. The achievement gap has not narrowed in any significant way.

COQEBS Atty. Guy Burns, Dr. Rick Davis, Dr. Goliath Davis and then-Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Grego sat down to discuss the Bridging the Gap Plan in 2017.

I recognize and appreciate the hard work of all administrators, teachers, scholars, etc., involved in the work required to attain “A” status, but I remind everyone that the politics of education has resulted in a flurry of activities that detract from the real role and purpose of our educational institutions. The pressures exerted on school superintendents, principals, teachers and scholars to perform on state-mandated tests and attain appropriate school grades have required all involved to take their eyes off the true reason for attending school — learning.

To her credit, Deputy Superintendent Stephanie Woodford readily admits we still have “work to do.” In our newly named “A” district and schools that have earned an “A” grade, the fact remains that when all the data is disaggregated by race, Black scholars, as a group, are not performing well.

Many may not know the tactics used to obtain a passing letter grade. For example, in some schools with scholars performing at less than a level three, it is customary to focus on the lowest-performing 25 percent of the scholars, hoping to move their performance a point or two to demonstrate learning gains. If successful, the attained gains may be sufficient to improve the school grade. Admittedly, the L25 group warrants attention, but to a large extent, the focus on that cohort is frequently done at the expense of the remaining 75 percent, and an important variable is overlooked. That variable is proficiency. Far too many of our kids record learning gains but lack proficiency in the required subjects.

Campbell Park Elementary is a noted exception because it earned a letter grade “B,” only two points from an “A,” and recorded the highest proficiency score in the Transformation Zone. Lakewood High is another notable exception for another reason. Before the change in principals, it was trending toward a failing grade, but under the leadership of Ms. Garcia and her team, Lakewood earned a “C” grade, two points from a “B,” and outperformed other South County high schools.

Graduation rates are also used to compute district grades. As I have noted in numerous previous writings, Pinellas also boasts about its Black graduation rate, claiming to have the highest in the state. However, the rate is built on a shaky foundation, given the large number of Concordance Diplomas awarded to Black and other struggling scholars. So many have graduated with Concordance Diplomas over the years and find it difficult to cope, given they lack the necessary proficiency required for college success and success in an ever-increasing competitive workforce.

Schools are not the only culprits in the achievement gap facing all of us. Parents, scholars, the larger community and COQEB all share some responsibility. I fully understand some parents may not be capable of assisting their children with lessons, given they are also victims of an ineffective school system. However, they are responsible for getting their kids to school daily and on time, and they insist they behave and seek assistance when needed.

Scholars, you must believe you can learn and devote as much energy to perfecting your educational talents as you do to sports, band, cheering and other pursuits of interest. Running effective pass routes, shooting a three-point shot and mastering a musical instrument take practice, and so does learning.

Talented community members can do more to assist struggling students and insist the district does better. Since the pandemic, COQEB has been a major disappointment. It has failed to have regularly scheduled face-to-face community meetings to inform members of the current status of the achievement gap and to work with the district to ensure individuals responsible for educating our scholars are held to task.

I am not suggesting an adversarial relationship but continuous collaboration and an insistence the district institutionalize the Bridging the Gap Plan so that everyone involved in the educational enterprise is familiar with its goals, strategies, and outcomes. I can state with confidence that this is not currently the case.

COQEB President Rick Davis has solicited the assistance of a consultant to evaluate the current plan’s progress. However, few are aware of this fact. Additionally, there is no indication when the board will meet or when regularly scheduled face-to-face meetings with members, partners and the district will resume.

We are fond of saying, “It takes a village,” so I am calling on the village to convene so that we can get about the business of educating our children and closing the gap. We are unique in Pinellas in that we are, to my knowledge, the only district in the country with a court mandate. Those of us who are COQEB must not forget who we are: Community Organizations for the Quality Education of Black Scholars.

So, while it is an “A” district for some, far too many Black scholars lag behind, and all involved must do better in order to alter the course.

Dr. Goliath Davis is a former St. Petersburg police chief and deputy mayor who advocates for education in Pinellas County, focusing on Black student achievement.