First in a series By ANDREW WIND, Courier Staff Writer

WATERLOO -- Lower academic performance by black students has been a concern for years to Waterloo Community Schools officials.

But the district intensified its focus on boosting achievement five years ago when former Gov. Tom Vilsack showed an interest in the issue and promised funding for the effort.

Dewitt Jones, who had been Waterloo's superintendent for less than a year, began co-chairing a task force that examined ways to combat the achievement gap faced by black students in comparison to white peers. The 28-member task force met for eight months before unveiling recommendations for 16 areas of concern in March 2004. Many of the proposals have since been implemented and continue guiding district efforts today.

The achievement gap initiatives are among the district's major education reforms during the six-year tenure of Jones, who retires Monday. By most measures, the effort is showing progress.

"I think absolutely they are going in the right direction, but there's a long way to go," Jones said. "I think we've done as many of them as we could that didn't cost money."

A number of the recommendations dealt with use of time and existing resources. But many -- from single-gender classrooms to cultural competency training for teachers to parental involvement plans -- required funding. The task force put a price tag of $1.3 million on the proposals, and the district was awarded one of six $125,000 state grants for the 2004-05 school year.

The achievement gap is measured through proficiency rates on standardized tests students take each fall. Those include the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills for elementary and middle school students and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development for 11th graders.

Students who score in the 41st percentile or higher -- doing better than at least 40 percent of those taking the tests at their level across the country -- are considered proficient.

The percent of district students proficient on reading and math portions of the tests has risen overall and among black students since the fall of 2002. And the achievement gap has narrowed in most cases.

Still, anywhere from one-fifth to one-third fewer black than white students achieved proficiency in the fall of 2007, depending on school level. Since the fall of 2002, those gaps have diminished by 13.7 percent to 2.8 percent, except for a slight (0.9 percent) increase at the middle school level.

Jane Lindaman, director of learning and results, said the district is "definitely not only closing the gap, but both groups -- as in all children -- are definitely achieving."

She added, "Although the progress at the middle grades is not as much, it's going in the right direction." Despite the slight growth of the gap in middle school reading, both black and white students saw increased proficiency. Lindaman said officials are making changes at the middle schools and keeping a focus on professional development as they grapple with the gap.

Progress is slower since fall 2004, when the recommendations were first put into place. The gap has slightly shrunk (by less than 5 percent) or grown (up to 3 percent), depending on subject and school level.

But positive results are still evident in recent years. Last December, district efforts were recognized through the Breaking Barriers to Teaching and Learning Award, given annually by the State Board of Education for reducing achievement gaps. During 2006-07, the district closed gaps at multiple grade levels in math or reading for black, low-income, Hispanic, special needs and English language learner students. The gaps faced by those groups were narrowed without reducing the proficiency of other students.

"Obviously, the goal is that there would not be a gap. All children should have the opportunity to learn at the same high levels," said Lindaman.

"That doesn't happen overnight," she noted. "But I'm just extremely optimistic about the interventions and the focus that we're taking. I think Dewitt has been very strong about making sure we're paying attention to these kids."

Impacting the gap

Lindaman said the task force was valuable for acknowledging the issues around the achievement gap for black students.

"I think the thing that was most important at the very beginning was raising the issue of urgency," she said. "The awareness of the gap -- if you know where you need to concentrate your efforts, it leads to a more focused approach."

She believes the fact the district had to begin meeting student progress requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation about the same time was also important.

"The huge data focus forced all districts to take a good hard look," said Lindaman.

"I think Waterloo has become much more savvy at looking at the needs of children," she added, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. "I think the teachers understand that is the right way to do that. They look much more closely at how to do that."

Many of the task force recommendations relate to the district's hiring practices, employee training and interactions with families.

Officials have sought to increase the number of black educators in a district where minority students see a disproportionate amount of white teachers. Bev Smith, associate superintendent for human resources and equity, said the district is getting better at "retaining people of color in teaching and administration" positions. "We also are doing targeted recruiting."

Two programs are helping the district develop diverse local teaching talent. One, which provides support for minorities earning a degree at Wartburg College, has graduated 18 teachers. Two former students now teach in the district after cultivating an interest in education through a University of Northern Iowa program they participated in during high school.

The district has sought to bolster teachers' sensitivity to students' backgrounds through its cultural competency training. "The more you know, the more you'll be able to provide a culturally appropriate education," said Smith.

Patrick Clancy, associate superintendent for educational and student services, said the district has also attempted to ensure "meaningful, engaged instruction" occurs in class. Teachers receive feedback from administrators who walk through classrooms to monitor instruction and enter observations into hand-held electronic devices. This is buttressed by weekly professional development on early release days.

The importance of using class time meaningfully is magnified for struggling students. Although they have opportunities to attend extended day or summer school programs -- as recommended by the task force -- Clancy noted it can be a challenge to get children enrolled.

"We'd like to see more children take advantage of that extra time," he said.

The district is also providing "high quality early childhood experiences" to a growing number of 4-year-olds, said Clancy. Another of the task force's target areas, it can help educators deal with learning difficulties earlier.

Nearly 500 preschoolers will be served next fall by the district as well as through partnerships with Head Start and several private child-care programs. In addition, the district has expanded its own early childhood classrooms as part of a statewide effort to make free quality preschool available to all families.

But it is not just what happens inside school doors that can help close the gap.

Providing more stability for children whose families move frequently because of poverty issues can also have an impact. The district has provided the option of busing Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence and Longfellow Elementary students back to those schools when their families move out of the attendance areas. Clancy said many "have taken advantage of keeping their children's situation consistent when families needed to move."

Parent involvement plays a central role, as well.

"Schools need to help parents engage in the actual education," said Smith. Teachers have begun doing home visits to connect with parents away from school.

"We talk to them about reading to their children," said Smith. "We provide homework that requires them to participate. That's the new paradigm of parent involvement."

"We still have a long ways to go -- there are still huge gaps -- but the gaps are getting smaller," said Jones. But the host of challenges the district faces in closing the achievement gap provides a glimpse into what drew Jones to Waterloo six years ago.

"In my 39 years in education, the hardest job I've had is this job and the most rewarding job I've had is this job, because there are so many more needs," he said.

As Jones retires, though, he believes at least one key change over the last six years has been a matter of attitude: that all children can learn.

"I don't know that we all believed that, and I think that we do now."

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.