These data shatter the illusion of a fair distribution of per-pupil spending in California. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the glaring inequity in the distribution of teacher talent and teacher dollars.
No matter how you look at this data, California is at the bottom. There is something systematically wrong with the way we approach educating all students in this state.
This is the first time I've heard (O'Connell) say the gap is huge and that we're serving our white kids well, but we have a long way to go with black and brown children.
What we know from these high performing, high poverty, high minority schools is that these kids can do it. If you provide the support they need, if you close the opportunity gap, they can do as well as affluent and white and Asian kids.
Go to an urban street corner or an unemployment line and it's been clear that the stakes (have always been) extremely high.
