Black leaders in Montgomery County voiced frustration with the schools Friday for failing to move quickly enough to address the lingering racial achievement gap plaguing the district's students.

In the first meeting of its kind, chairmen of the county's NAACP education committee met with school board members and district officials to plan ways in which they could work with the district to support the growing number of black and Hispanic students failing to keep pace with their Asian and white peers.

"We have been moving forward in fits and starts with what we feel is a lackluster response to our many offers to work together to improve the academic performance and engagement in school activities," especially for minority and low-income students, wrote Brian Roberts and Maj. Henry Pittman, committee chairmen.

"The school system, with nearly 140,000 students and 20,000 employees, is not an easy ship to turn," Roberts said, adding no one was to blame for the gap. "Our frustration is trying to figure out the right way to be involved."

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While board members and district administrators agreed with the committee's concerns, few tangible solutions were discussed save for another meeting later this spring.

A study released earlier in the year revealed that in 2007, 15 percent of black high school students in the county were suspended at some point during the year - a 4 percentage-point increase since 2000. Hispanic suspensions were up by two points to 10 percent overall, but white students saw a one-point decline to 3 percent overall.

While the gap narrowed for scores on Advanced Placement exams, stratification remained. Only 58 percent of black students who took the exams passed, compared with 79 percent of Hispanics, 79 percent of Asians and 85 percent of whites.

"We know who the kids at risk are," Roberts said, explaining the NAACP's effectiveness in reaching out to the county's minority families. "We'd like to think of ways we can help those kids proactively."

Judy Docca, who served as chairwoman of the committee before her election to the school board in 2006, said no one had thought before to bring district leadership together with a community organization like the NAACP.

"We've been working on this since 1978," Docca said, crediting Councilwoman Valerie Ervin and school board President Nancy Navarro with bringing race issues to the forefront in the county. "Let's not just lament anymore. Let's think what can we do."

lfabel@dcexaminer.com