AASA partners with ING to host forums on narrowing the achievement gap.

Narrowing the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students is a goal school administrators nationwide share. But often local and state education policies perpetuate this educational gap rather than narrowing it. In an effort to publicize effective strategies that will help school administrators overcome obstacles to success, AASA and ING Financial Advisors, LLP, will work together to identify the research, policies and practices that contribute to narrowing the achievement gap.

With support from ING, AASA will hold three forums on narrowing the achievement gap in early 2003. The first forum is scheduled to be held at the McLean, Va., offices of USA Today; located in the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The subsequent forums are tentatively planned for Arizona and California and will be scheduled shortly after the initial meeting.

AASA Executive Director Paul Houston credited AASA's membership, specifically, the members of the Minority Affairs Advisory Committee, for providing the impetus for these forums. Houston said that the forums will assemble superintendents, aspiring superintendents, community leaders, researchers and others to discuss effective strategies aimed at narrowing the achievement gap.

Houston expressed AASA's appreciation for ING's support in making the forums possible. ING's record of social commitment makes the company a "natural partner for AASA to work with in identifying successful strategies," he said.

Forum attendees will help craft an action guide that will detail powerful practices any school leader can use to help narrow the gap in student achievement.

Houston added that AASA's ultimate goal for the forums will be to create a network of school system leaders "committed to narrowing the achievement gap and to encourage continued dialogue and reflection among forum participants."

For more information about the upcoming forums, log on to www.aasa.org.