"The achievement gap is not an education issue, and I wish it didn't only show up at education conferences. It is a civil rights issue. It is a human rights issue."—Jason Kamras
Jason Kamras came from John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington, D.C., to the ASCD 2006 Conference on Teaching and Learning to issue a challenge to all educators.
"The painful truth is that, as adults, we have failed to create a society and an educational system that ensures equality of opportunity for all children, period," said Kamras, 2005 Teacher of the Year, at a general session on closing the achievement gap. "It's difficult for me to say that as National Teacher of the Year, and sometimes I get in trouble for saying it, but it's the truth. I believe I have to speak the truth on behalf of my students."
The 7th grade math teacher called on educators to fulfill the intention of education as the great equalizer among all children. He warned, "Everyday that we allow this injustice to continue, we turn our backs on those who deserve our national attention the most and, in doing so, I believe we weaken our democracy and we jeopardize the future of our country."
Though the task of righting the inequity in education is complex, Kamras spoke in plain terms. "We have an obligation to make a very simple but very powerful commitment to our children, and here it is: We must promise them that the opportunity to pursue their dreams will be constrained only by the limits of their imagination and never by their zip code, their skin color, the language they speak at home, their gender, sexual orientation, or any other label that we can come up with," he said.
"And I believe deeply, with every fiber in my being that, as a nation, we can fulfill this obligation. I believe we can close the achievement gap actually within this generation of children."