Training Supports Young People Addressing Achievement Gap

Despite freezing temperatures, more than 50 youth and their adult mentors recently gathered at the Voyageur Environmental Center in Mound, Minn. to continue their work — begun last summer — to address the “achievement gap.”

Describing their attitudes as “irritated, angry, disgusted, frustrated, motivated, and wanting to prove it [assumptions about the achievement gap] wrong!” the participants met to share steps taken since their first exposure to achievement gap training last summer during NYLC’s National Youth Leadership Training.

Eight projects, funded with $1,500 grants from State Farm’s® Youth Advisory Board, are currently underway across the country, from Washington state to Indiana. The projects are addressing achievement gap-related needs ranging from tutoring, to health, to winter clothing.

This mid-year check-in was designed to provide additional skills and inspiration. Participants engaged in a discussion and training led by Naomi Montgomery, Assistant Professor at St. Paul-based Hamline University’s Center for Excellence in Urban Teaching, who shared startling statistics:

• One out of four African-American men who reach age 25 will have spent time in prison or on a suspended sentence.
• In the U.S., 35.3 percent black, 28 percent Latino, and 10.8 percent white children live in poverty.
• One out of 14 teens, ages 16-19, drops out of school.

As youth initiatives manager Sarah Ullmer says, the goal of the achievement gap projects is to “spark action … among other young people nationally.”

Indiana Project Gains Media Attention

Of the projects currently underway, one is gaining media attention in Indiana. Two high school students from West Lafayette were recently recognized in their local paper for their innovative project that helps students in need access basic toiletries and school supplies at no cost.

Lily Darbishire and Cecy Linzey, two Harrison High School students, identified a socio-economic achievement gap at their school: Many students are unable to afford basic necessities. They found that poor hygiene keeps students from interacting with others, decreases self-confidence, and prohibits learning.

To address this need, Darbishire and Linzey applied for one of the $1,500 grants funded by State Farm’s® Youth Advisory Board made available to NYLT participants. With the funding, they developed a resource room, called “Raider Closet” to help students at their school access supplies confidentially through their guidance counselors.

“Our program has the potential to impact hundreds of students…who are in the free and reduced lunch programs from Harrison High School,” says Darbishire.

The students are currently seeking additional grants and funds to purchase more items for the Closet. So far, nearly $500 in local donations have been raised.