by Josh Averbach ‘18

Mirroring MCPS’s goal to reduce the achievement gap, Sherwood has begun the year with a renewed focus on goals similar to those presented by Superintendent Jack Smith. Every year, Sherwood’s administration creates a document called a School Improvement Plan (SIP) that summarizes the school’s main objectives and the measures that will be taken to meet these goals. This year’s SIP contains two main areas for the school to focus on: instruction and cultural proficiency.

Cultural proficiency, according to Principal Bill Gregory, means “understanding and embracing the values and beliefs of each student in our community.” He believes that by improving in this area, the school can create positive relationships which encourage learning.

In practice, cultural proficiency often refers to closing the “achievement gap,” a discrepancy in academic performance between white students and minorities, especially blacks and Latinos. This year, the administration has taken a number of steps to reduce the achievement gap.

The Minority Scholars Program (MSP) is one of Sherwood’s significant and recent ventures in its efforts to reduce the achievement gap. Starting in 2005 at Walter Johnson, MSP has since spread to multiple MCPS schools, including Sherwood. The program, which is inclusive to all students, engages in a number of activities, including peer-to-peer tutoring, college visits, and hosting guest speakers. All of these activities are conducted with the overarching goal of creating a more equitable school.

The achievement gap has been prominent on the school’s docket for a significant amount of time. Indeed, cultural proficiency was a main point of last year’s SIP. While raw data may not reflect it yet, Gregory believes that significant progress is being made on the problem. He says that the administration has already laid the groundwork for substantial progress through initiatives such as the Minority Scholars Program and also by raising awareness on the prevalent topic.