Bridging the Achievement Gap

The Second Edition of Bridging the Achievement Gap: What Successful Educators and Parents Do includes 11 examples of K-12 high performing public schools which serve mostly African American students. The book argues that school district leaders with low performing schools should consider what these high performing schools do in their planning to reverse the on-going trend of relatively low academic performance of African American students. Included in the "Solution Chapter" is the rationale for state legislation to provide funding for students who are low performing, but may not qualify for current funding for low income students. Also included in that chapter is the actual legislative language currently under consideration by the California State Legislature. The book contains other supporting research on this topic.

The author, a former school superintendent, state administrator, school administrator and classroom teacher, asserts that the academic achievement gap does not have to persist. Fortune links his research on high performing, high minority schools with other studies of traditional and charter schools cited in his book, that reach the same conclusion--African Aerican can achieve. Fortune was co-author of Leadership on Purpose, author of Bridging the Achievement Gap-1st Edition, and several books based on a chapter in these books called Parenting Practices: What Successful Parents Do to bridge the achievement gap. His work and advocacy as described in "Chapter Five: Solutions" in this Second Edition publication contain legislative language to address this problem currently under consideration by the California State Legislature. Fortune received his BS degree and US Army Commission from NC A&T State University. Masters in Ed Admin from UC Berkeley, and Ph. D in Educational Administration from Stanford University. He resides in Granite Bay, California