In the Madison Metropolitan School District, students of color make up about 55 percent of total enrollment. Employees of color comprise only 15 percent of the workforce. This disparity is one of several the district has targeted in its plan to close the achievement gap.

Burr Oaks Neighborhood Association unveiled plans for an outdoor learning space to neighborhood officials meeting last month. The outdoor learning space will be on a lot beside Lincoln Elementary, and is considered an ongoing sustainability project.

The outdoor learning space plan consists of an outdoor wellness path, a community garden, a community tool shed for children and an outdoor classroom structure. Along with the physical aspects of the project, those involved with it intend to incorporate a curriculum for students at Lincoln Elementary.

At the March 17 meeting on the school district’s plan to eliminate the achievement gap, Superintendent Dan Nerad opened the discussion on a familiar note, laying out the statistics that underline Madison’s achievement gap problem, and outlining strategies to bridge the gap.

Describing the situation as “a tale of two school districts,” Nerad said that recent data shows MMSD graduates 87 percent of its white students in four years, compared to 56 percent of its black students and 48 percent of its Hispanic students. An interpreter conveyed his message to the largely Spanish-speaking audience.

But unlike the nine public meetings before, Nerad was confronted by a different set of stakeholders—students. While attendees at earlier discussions have largely been parents and other adults, at Centro Hispano, students took the floor.