The Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC) released its 2015 annual report with recommendations to address closing the educational opportunity gaps.
The 2015 recommendations include (view a one-page document with the recommendations):
- Reducing the length of time students of color are excluded from school due to suspension and expulsions and provide student support for reengagement plans
- Enhance the cultural competence of current and future educators and classified staff
- Endorse all educators in English Language Learner/Second Language Acquisition
- Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program Accountability for instructional services provided to English Language Learner Students
- Analyze the opportunity gap through deeper disaggregation of student demographic data
- Invest in the recruitment, hiring and retention of educators of color
- Incorporate Integrated Student Services and Family Engagement
- Strengthen Student Transitions
The EOGOAC works to elevate student and community voices. Members on the EOGOAC include former educators, community leaders, and elected officials. EOGOAC co-chair, Frieda Takamura, and member Sili Savusa, represent the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs on the committee. In addition to regular monthly meetings, the EOGOAC has held community forums to increase community understanding and involvement in its work.
The Legislature established the EOGOAC in 2009 to synthesize the findings and recommendations from the 2008 achievement gap studies into an implementation plan and to recommend policies and strategies to state policymakers. Members of the committee work to address structural issues in the education system that include institutionalized racism, disparate educational opportunities, and different treatment experienced by students of color, all of which describes the “opportunity gap.”
The focus areas of the committee reside in the following:
- Supporting parent and community involvement and outreach;
- Increasing cultural competency of those in the field of education;
- Recruiting and retaining diverse teachers and administrators;
- Supporting programs and resources directed to narrow the gap;
- Identifying data elements and systems needed to monitor progress in closing the gap;
- Making closing the achievement gap part of schools’ improvement process; and
- Exploring innovative school models that have shown success in closing the achievement gap.
The EOGOAC holds monthly meetings that are open to the public. Find out more information by visiting the EOGOAC website.