<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Century Gothic" LANG="0">Hello friends,<BR>
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This is to let you know that the Northampton School District's Civil Rights Committee will submit a resolution concerning action to address the achievement gap at the School Committee meeting of Thursday 9/8/05 at 7:15 PM at the JFK Community Meeting Room. Public support, presence and commentary would be welcomed. Here is a copy of the resolution that Civil Rights and School Committee member David Kotz will submit:<BR>
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</FONT><FONT COLOR="#ff0080" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Century Gothic" LANG="0">Proposed Resolution on the Achievement Gap<BR>
June 14, 2005<BR>
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Whereas the existence of an educational achievement gap between students of color and white students is a serious and widely recognized problem in American public schools, and<BR>
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Whereas it has been demonstrated that there is an achievement gap between students of color and white students in the Northampton Public Schools, including but not limited to disparities in standardized test scores, and <BR>
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Whereas the Northampton Public Schools is committed to the goal of providing an equal quality of education for students of all races and ethnicities,<BR>
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Therefore be it resolved that the Superintendent shall develop a plan, including a timetable, aimed at eliminating the achievement gap between students of color and white students in the Northampton Public Schools. After developing such a plan, the Superintendent shall report on it to the School Committee for its comment and advice, and thereafter shall report periodically to the School Committee on the steps taken, and the progress made, toward the elimination of the educational achievement gap in <BR>
Northampton Public Schools.</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
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Hope to see you there. <BR>
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In community,<BR>
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Norma Akamatsu</FONT></HTML>