Minority Student Achievement Network
Finding strategies to bridge student achievement gaps
Finding strategies to bridge student achievement gaps
By Laura Salinger
The Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) — a national coalition of 25 multiracial, suburban-urban
school districts focused on studying and eliminating the achievement gap — recently moved from Evanston, Ill. to
make Madison its new home. With a deepening focus on research, as well as the continuation of student, teacher,
and district collaborations and programs, MSAN is now housed in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research on
the UW-Madison campus.
In conjunction with their move, MSAN recently named Dr. Madeline Hafner, an educator with an experienced
background in educational research, their new executive director. MSAN uses research-based knowledge to
discover why the achievement gap persists and to develop strategies to change school practices and structures
that unconsciously support this gap.
In Madison, the achievement gap between students of color and their White counterparts has been a long-
running discussion. The students hardest hit are African American, Latino/a, and Hmong.
While discussions about eliminating the gap abound in Madison, critics wonder why disproportionate test scores,
overrepresentation of students of color in special education, and under representation of students of color in
advanced classes stubbornly endures. To the district's credit, they openly admit that the achievement gap is an
issue and have actively pursued strategies to address the problem. The Madison Metropolitan School District was
among the first MSAN coalition members in 1999 when it formed.
"In order to be an MSAN district, you have to admit racism is a problem in your school and publicize what you
are doing to change it," Hafner said. "That takes courage. These districts are willing to share their weaknesses and
strengths in order to move forward."
Just over five months into her new position as MSAN executive director, Hafner is refreshingly honest and even
downright blunt when discussing the achievement gap and its underlying causes. She doesn't skirt around the
issue of racism and has zero tolerance for the fact that schools nationwide don't offer all students equal
opportunities to succeed.
"Do we want to create another Japanese internment camp and just call it something else, like inner-city
schools?" Hafner asked. "We can't have a true democracy if we don't have a democratic education. It should be
the purpose of everyone in this society to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to succeed."
Yet, Hafner also understands that many districts are unaware of how they are supporting the achievement gap
(which she says is really a myriad of gaps) and hopes MSAN's renewed focus on research will further illuminate the
causes of the achievement gap, while discovering methods to curtail it.
What we do know, she said, is that institutional, and often unconscious, racism plays a large part in sustaining
the achievement gap.
"Predominantly teachers are White," she said. "Research shows that teacher's perceptions of students is a huge
contributor to the achievement gap."
So how does a White woman like Hafner fit into the role of MSAN executive director?
"It's a legitimate question," she said. "My whole professional focus has been on issues of equity. This has been
a lifelong interest of mine."
Hafner has the research and teaching background to back up this claim. She witnessed first hand how "cultural
mismatches" between students and teachers resulted in dire consequences for student learning.
Before earning a master's degree in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy from
UW-Madison, then later becoming a professor at Loyola University and with the University of Utah's Education
Leadership and Policy Analysis department, Hafner was a special education teacher in Indiana and Wisconsin.
While teaching, she learned some disturbing truths.
"Kids of color, especially African American males, are disproportionately placed in special education," Hafner
said. "It's so sad, but it has even been referred to as the 'special education to jail pipeline.’”
While some students of color definitely need the additional resources provided by special education, it can
also be a result of mislabeling that can affect the life-long learning of a student. "Often the placement is a result
of a cultural mismatch," Hafner said.
Hafner believes schools need to develop culturally responsive pedagogy and really evaluate the role racism
plays in their learning environments. Keep in mind, the racism she refers to is often not overt, but an "unconscious
racism that nobody really intends."
"The truth is that schools were built for a certain type of student; White, middle-class kids," she said.
But MSAN school districts are making some inroads. MSAN districts across the nation are organizing and
participating in seminars and conferences that bring the achievement gap to the forefront. Among these are
student-led conferences and leadership programs that empower students to take the lead in eliminating the
achievement gap.
"Every year, eight students from each of our school districts get together to talk about issues of access barriers,"
Hafner said. "These kids are committed to making sure that the kids that come after them have better access."
In one MSAN school district, a teacher even went so far as to develop a new four-credit social studies class
focused solely on the achievement gap.
Still, MSAN would not exist if the achievement gap were not a persistent problem that plagues schools
nationwide. The organization will continue its fight over the long haul, with a woman at the reins who is
committed to equitable educational opportunities for all students.
The Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) — a national coalition of 25 multiracial, suburban-urban
school districts focused on studying and eliminating the achievement gap — recently moved from Evanston, Ill. to
make Madison its new home. With a deepening focus on research, as well as the continuation of student, teacher,
and district collaborations and programs, MSAN is now housed in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research on
the UW-Madison campus.
In conjunction with their move, MSAN recently named Dr. Madeline Hafner, an educator with an experienced
background in educational research, their new executive director. MSAN uses research-based knowledge to
discover why the achievement gap persists and to develop strategies to change school practices and structures
that unconsciously support this gap.
In Madison, the achievement gap between students of color and their White counterparts has been a long-
running discussion. The students hardest hit are African American, Latino/a, and Hmong.
While discussions about eliminating the gap abound in Madison, critics wonder why disproportionate test scores,
overrepresentation of students of color in special education, and under representation of students of color in
advanced classes stubbornly endures. To the district's credit, they openly admit that the achievement gap is an
issue and have actively pursued strategies to address the problem. The Madison Metropolitan School District was
among the first MSAN coalition members in 1999 when it formed.
"In order to be an MSAN district, you have to admit racism is a problem in your school and publicize what you
are doing to change it," Hafner said. "That takes courage. These districts are willing to share their weaknesses and
strengths in order to move forward."
Just over five months into her new position as MSAN executive director, Hafner is refreshingly honest and even
downright blunt when discussing the achievement gap and its underlying causes. She doesn't skirt around the
issue of racism and has zero tolerance for the fact that schools nationwide don't offer all students equal
opportunities to succeed.
"Do we want to create another Japanese internment camp and just call it something else, like inner-city
schools?" Hafner asked. "We can't have a true democracy if we don't have a democratic education. It should be
the purpose of everyone in this society to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to succeed."
Yet, Hafner also understands that many districts are unaware of how they are supporting the achievement gap
(which she says is really a myriad of gaps) and hopes MSAN's renewed focus on research will further illuminate the
causes of the achievement gap, while discovering methods to curtail it.
What we do know, she said, is that institutional, and often unconscious, racism plays a large part in sustaining
the achievement gap.
"Predominantly teachers are White," she said. "Research shows that teacher's perceptions of students is a huge
contributor to the achievement gap."
So how does a White woman like Hafner fit into the role of MSAN executive director?
"It's a legitimate question," she said. "My whole professional focus has been on issues of equity. This has been
a lifelong interest of mine."
Hafner has the research and teaching background to back up this claim. She witnessed first hand how "cultural
mismatches" between students and teachers resulted in dire consequences for student learning.
Before earning a master's degree in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy from
UW-Madison, then later becoming a professor at Loyola University and with the University of Utah's Education
Leadership and Policy Analysis department, Hafner was a special education teacher in Indiana and Wisconsin.
While teaching, she learned some disturbing truths.
"Kids of color, especially African American males, are disproportionately placed in special education," Hafner
said. "It's so sad, but it has even been referred to as the 'special education to jail pipeline.’”
While some students of color definitely need the additional resources provided by special education, it can
also be a result of mislabeling that can affect the life-long learning of a student. "Often the placement is a result
of a cultural mismatch," Hafner said.
Hafner believes schools need to develop culturally responsive pedagogy and really evaluate the role racism
plays in their learning environments. Keep in mind, the racism she refers to is often not overt, but an "unconscious
racism that nobody really intends."
"The truth is that schools were built for a certain type of student; White, middle-class kids," she said.
But MSAN school districts are making some inroads. MSAN districts across the nation are organizing and
participating in seminars and conferences that bring the achievement gap to the forefront. Among these are
student-led conferences and leadership programs that empower students to take the lead in eliminating the
achievement gap.
"Every year, eight students from each of our school districts get together to talk about issues of access barriers,"
Hafner said. "These kids are committed to making sure that the kids that come after them have better access."
In one MSAN school district, a teacher even went so far as to develop a new four-credit social studies class
focused solely on the achievement gap.
Still, MSAN would not exist if the achievement gap were not a persistent problem that plagues schools
nationwide. The organization will continue its fight over the long haul, with a woman at the reins who is
committed to equitable educational opportunities for all students.
| Laura Salinger is a freelance writer based in Madison, Wis. |