It takes a community to close the gap.

Dear Colleague:

U.S. Census Bureau data show that more than 1.7 million California children (18.6 percent) were living in poverty last year, up from 18.2 percent in 2002.

Three quarters of those poor children live in immigrant families, according to the advocacy group Children Now. This is significant because children in immigrant families "are less likely than those in native families to receive economic supports, such as housing and food assistance, despite the fact that over four-fifths of these children are U.S.-born citizens and therefore eligible for all public programs."

Children Now also reports that children in immigrant families are much less likely to attend preschool or have access to health care, although immigrant parents are more likely to be married and working full time than native-born parents. In addition:

* More than one-third of children entering kindergarten in California in 2002-03 were English language learners.

* Although the U.S. child poverty rate (16 percent) is lower than that of California, it is among the highest in the developed world.

* California also lags behind the nation in access to preschool programs. Currently, just four in 10 of the state's 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in preschool. Research clearly shows that children who attend preschool do better in school in later years and are more likely to graduate.

All of these conditions affect education, yet they are beyond the control of educators. Furthermore, they reflect a baffling lack of commitment to our children.

Improving schools not the only key to closing the gap

Educators know what it takes to work toward closing the achievement gap, and new research and strategies on the topic become available all the time. But as ACSA Professional Learning Executive George Manthey points out in his column on page 19, the actions of educators alone are not sufficient to close what he calls the achievement "cliff" that too many children fall over.

"As educational leaders the achievement cliff may be our inheritance, but it is not our responsibility alone," he writes. "When the burden of eliminating this cliff is placed solely on us, of when we try to eliminate the cliff only by improving schools, we will, in fact, ensure that the cliff remains."

Appropriately, most of the strategies for closing the gap offered in this issue involve working with our greater communities. It takes a commitment from the society as a whole to nurture our young and offer our children the future they deserve.

As we begin a new year of working to help California's children achieve their dreams, please remember that your leadership matters, but also remember that we must encourage others to show leadership by supporting our children.

Sincerely, Sandra Carsten ACSA President