Test results from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that New Jersey’s black and poor students dramatically out-perform their counterparts in the District of Columbia and the vast majority of other states.
"The wide disparity in scores raises serious questions about why Governor Christie's education reform front group - Better Education for Kids (B4K) - would join forces with former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee to lead the reform effort in New Jersey,” said NJEA President Barbara Keshishian.
"We still have a lot of work to do for poor and minority students," Keshishian said, "but the answer doesn't come from the District of Columbia. Looking at their NAEP scores, why would we take advice from Michelle Rhee?"
Christie and the state Department of Education are focusing on the so-called "achievement gap" between black and white students, and between poor and wealthier students, as the rationale for their reforms - none of which are supported by reliable research.
A story launched by NJEA on Dec. 1 showed that while New Jersey's "achievement gap" remains, both black and white students' scores are rising rapidly, and are near the top in the nation in their respective subgroups. But NAEP scores for black students and for students receiving free and reduced-price lunches (indicating poverty) show that New Jersey is doing a better job educating both groups of students than most states, and far outperforms the District of Columbia.
Not only are DC scores for black and poor students among the lowest in the nation, said Keshishian, but the district was investigated for alleged test score cheating under Rhee's watch.
A chart summarizing 2011 NAEP scores shows that New Jersey's black and poor students dramatically outscore their D.C. counterparts in both reading and math, at both the 4th and 8th grade levels.
In addition, when it comes to the percentage of black and poor students scoring at or above proficient - the equivalent of an "A" grade - D.C. students perform at or near the lowest in the nation, while New Jersey students perform consistently above average, and in some cases near the top.
Keshishian noted a recent New York Times op-ed showing the inherent dishonesty in claiming to address the achievement gap without acknowledging and dealing with the effects of poverty.
"We don't need more advice from a celebrity education reformer like Michelle Rhee, whose reputation far outshines her results," Keshishian said. "We need comprehensive, research-based reforms that tackle both the cause of the achievement gap - poverty in America - and its effect on children's ability to learn."