Youths ages 17 and younger are 25 percent of Dane County 's population. Most are regular kids trying to do good things in their homes, school and communities.

They contribute their time and talents in many ways. They perform in musicals. They play sports. They volunteer in hospitals, nursing homes and schools. They are understandably sensitive to their educational environment and topics that receive media attention.

Too often adults talk about issues affecting young people as if youth were not even present. Empowering young people to speak for themselves is an important role of the Dane County Youth Commission.

The Dane County Youth Board is made up of representatives from rural and urban high schools. Last year the youth board sponsored a teen summit on violence in schools and the way it 's handled by police officers, teachers and staff. More than 100 youth attended the summit.

This year, the youth board has chosen to tackle another challenging topic addressed frequently in the pages of the Wisconsin State Journal -- the achievement gap as one not only between white students and students of color in our high schools, but also between economically-disadvantaged students and those who are not.

The youth emphatically point out that the issue is less about statistics and more about what their classes look like.

Although significant gains in achievement have taken place in the last 10 years, youth board members looked around their classrooms and saw a demographic that troubled them.

While other classes are very diverse, few students of color take advanced placement courses. Few are invited or asked to take the ACT, the SAT, or apply to college.

In terms of expectations, students seem to be placed in either the four-year college track or the non-college track, without the opportunity to explore a variety of viable options, including military or vocational programs.

Last week at the Lussier Teen Center the youth board sponsored a forum to achieve two goals: To raise awareness of the achievement gap issue among Dane County youth and to decide how to make a recommendation to the new superintendent of the Madison School District.

Representatives from the Schools of Hope project, the PEOPLE program, Madison 's Americorps volunteers, teachers and administrators from the Madison School District and education staff from UW-Madison attended the summit.

Youths discussed where schools are with this issue and where the youth hope our schools will be able to go. The evening also included young poets and musicians performing for the audience, a DJ and a dance, food and a video created from interviews of students in local high schools about the achievement gap issue.

These youth see themselves as having a voice in controversial issues and the ability to come up with solutions. The entire community should applaud these efforts and support these youth as they make a difference in Dane County.

Arnold is chairwoman of the Dane County Youth Commission in Madison.