PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — On Tuesday, the Pinellas County School board is having a workshop where school officials are expected to provide an update on the district’s Bridging the Gap program.
It’s a systematic initiative and large-scale effort to close the achievement gap between Black students and their non-Black peers by 2027.
The plan outlines education equity gaps across six goal areas.
- Graduation rate
- Student achievement
- Advanced coursework
- Student discipline
- ESE identification
- Minority hiring
According to the plan, leaders are working to improve the education outcomes of Black students by helping them get better standardized test scores, increasing the graduation rate, getting more minority students to participate in advanced classes, and lowering the number of Black students who are disciplined.
The school district monitors the progress of this program on a quarterly basis.
New documents show graduation rates declined statewide last school year, including in Pinellas County, due to lingering COVID-19 effects.
Gibbs High School and Palm Harbor University High School were the only two high schools that improved their graduation rates.
There’s also been a small increase in out-of-school suspensions.
Leaders have continued to make improvements like providing additional resources in high schools to help students, having more tutors, improving the curriculum and adding more opportunities for extended learning.
The district has also made progress by focusing on new mentor-tutor programs and reading initiatives, encouraging minority students to take a new SAT practice and preparation program, reducing in-school suspension rates, and hiring more minority teachers.
The workshop begins at 9:30 a.m.
For a full list of how the Bridging the Gap program is progressing, click here.
