Samudzi attends ‘excellence gap’ summit

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cleo Samudzi, dean of the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing at Northwest Missouri State University, recently joined educators from across the country during a two-day conference in Washington on the so-called “excellence gap” — the disparity in academic performance between lower-income and higher-income students.

The conference was organized by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which is a major source of funding for scholarships to academically gifted students from lower-income families.

Samudzi was one of more than 100 administrators at the conference representing selective high schools. Also attending were educators representing such organizations as the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools.

Conference activities included the formation of a new group named the Coalition of Leaders for Advanced Students Success, which has the stated goal of advocating for high-achieving students in financial need.

“We are leaders in our communities who have a stake in nurturing talent wherever we find it and regardless of a student’s economic status,” Samudzi said. “We need talent to remain competitive as a nation. This summit underscored the fact that the Missouri Academy is part of the solution.”

The Missouri Academy is a two-year residential program for academically talented students that replaces what would be the junior and senior years of high school. Graduates leave the program with both a high school diploma and a two-year associate of science degree.