PRESS RELEASE -- PUBLIC ADVOCATES -- February 15, 2005

For Immediate Release - WILLIAMS COUNSEL RESPONDS TO EDTRUST WEST REPORT OF TEACHER GAP

Williams Counsel Responds to New Report of Teacher Gap at Poor, Minority Schools

Contact: John Affeldt, (415) 431-7430

On Tuesday, EdTrust West released a new report of the shocking disparities in the amount of money school districts spend on instruction at low-income, minority schools in California compared to whiter, more affluent schools within districts.

Public Advocates Managing Attorney, John Affeldt, has been one of the lead counsel for plaintiffs and the attorney responsible for addressing issues of teacher quality disparities in Williams v. California, the statewide, educational equity class action settled with Governor Schwarzenegger last August. In responding to the EdTrust West report, Mr. Affeldt stated:

"We've known for years that poor and minority students receive the lowest quality teachers and have the lowest test scores. For the first time we see how shocking an under-investment in instructional dollars the teacher gap means for the neediest students. Teachers are the most important factor in improving student learning. We can hardly expect low-performing students to tackle California's world-class standards without ensuring all students have effective, experienced teachers. As part of the Williams settlement, the State committed to providing all students "highly qualified" teachers by the end of the 2006 school year. This report confirms that a systemic response is needed to create the environments at low-performing schools to attract and retain high quality teachers."