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Education & Youth Development |
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State test scores reveal that urban public school students of color in Fairfield County are foundering when compared with their affluent, predominately white suburban peers.
In 2007, 44.6% of African-American fourth graders in Norwalk tested within the State Department of Education’s range for proficiency levels in reading, while 91.8% of Wilton fourth graders (statistically all Caucasian) tested at or above proficiency levels.
Also troubling, 50.4% of Latino eighth graders in Bridgeport tested at or above proficiency in mathematics, while 95.9% of Greenwich Caucasian eighth graders tested as proficient in mathematics.
Improving the academic achievement of our urban public school students is one of Fairfield County's most urgent issues.
One strategy for closing the achievement gap is to make sure urban school principals and other leaders are thoroughly trained and supported to run schools where teachers excel, children thrive, and parents and the community are engaged—while staying within budget.
Principal quality has been cited as second only to classroom instruction in improving student learning and achievement. Yet principal quality is dramatically uneven between districts and schools, especially in low-income areas.
The Fairfield County Community Foundation Fund for Academic Excellence launched the School Leadership Initiative in fall of 2007 to help ensure that principal positions in Fairfield County are filled with exceptional, passionate leaders trained in the best methods available.
Another strategy for closing the achievement gap is to better prepare preschoolers for kindergarten. Today’s kindergarten students are expected to enter school already proficient in a broad range of skills, including listening to and following simple directions, copying alphabet letters, understanding and following rules of a simple game, and sitting still for five to ten minutes to listen to a story.
The Foundation awards grants to Fairfield County nonprofits that provide early childhood programs that help low-income, minority preschoolers be prepared for kindergarten. We also help nonprofits improve the quality of early childhood programs.
A third strategy for closing the achievement gap is to provide children with academically-focused after-school programs. These havens between school and home help young people succeed by reinforcing classroom work and providing creative learning opportunities.
In 2004, the Foundation initiated the Fairfield County After School Network. After-school leaders in Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford meet to exchange best practices, resources and ideas to strengthen academic quality for over 10,000 children in Fairfield County. We also organize workshops and provide Network members with scholarships to attend after-school education conferences.
View the Fairfield County Community Foundation's fiscal 2007 grants that supported education and youth development.
| Its easy, just click the "Donate Now" button. You can make a tax deductible, online contribution to funds that support education and youth development, other Foundation initiatives and regional grantmaking. |
| To make a contribution by mail or fax, or for more information, contact Sharon Reiss, Director of Philanthropic Services, at 203.750.3200. For a sampling of Foundation funds supporting education and youth development, please scroll down.
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