Massachusetts to Mississippi

In his new report out today, author Tom Loveless, Brown Center for Education and Brookings Institute, says that socioeconomic gaps in the nation with Massachusetts,being a high performing state, and Mississippi, being a low performing state, are reflected inside states also. Plain English: the same gap exists in every state, even Massachusetts. I think the same gap is in every school district, every school and every classroom. In classrooms like mine all across the country there are wide gaps in abilities and needs. As I talk to many teachers in my area the same story comes forward, out of a typically overcrowded classroom, 8-9 students are need enrichment to keep improving, 8-9 need intervention to come up to standard and 8-9 are at standard but vary vastly in their needs in that spectrum. How does one teacher in one room meet such a disparity of needs? This is the question that needs to be addressed. How many that need intervention are getting it? Is the Special Education that students need available to them with budgets straining to the breaking point? English Language Learners, is there even a program for them in the school or are they being accounted for by a district specialist who checks in on them every quarter and tests them in the spring to document their improvement or their continuing ability gap? How can you meet their needs daily? Health concerns? Family and Socioeconomic issues? If a student comes to school hungry, hurting, depressed or anxious is their achievement effected? If we experience this wide disparity gap in our classrooms daily; teachers might have some insight into how to improve. Why is our voice not part of this conversation?