...The Achievement Gap How would you feel knowing your children won’t be able to have a good education because you are a minority or just because you don’t have enough money? The achievement gap is a difference in academics between different races and even in different social statuses. The major differences in the Achievement Gap are in the different grade levels, test scores and dropout rates between different ethnic groups The Achievement Gap affects a lot of people because they drop out before they develop adequate reading, writing, and mathematical skills. The Achievement Gap is a serious problem that affects Latinos and African-Americans because it reduces their educational opportunities and there are low expectations for those students; however groups like Harvest Prep are trying to close it. For Latinos and African- Americans, the Achievement Gap reduces their educational opportunities. One way the Achievement Gap reduces their educational opportunities is that “Only 1 in 50 Latinos and 1 in 100 African American 17-year-olds can read and gain information from specialized text—such as the science section in the newspaper compared to about 1 in 12 whites.” (Bottoms) This is saying that it is much more difficult for African- Americans and Latinos to understand some texts, but reading is only part of the struggle for minorities because they don’t get help when they are little they just get passed on to the next grade for someone else to deal with them. Another way the...
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...Critical Analysis of Article Education and Urban Society, Vol. 35 No. 2 (February 3003) The Achievement Gap: Issues of Competition, Class, and Race Retrieved from http://eus.sagepub.com/content/35/2/151.full.pdf+html One of the key arguments in the Education and Urban Society, Vol. 35 No. 2 article is that closing the achievement gap between racial minorities and the racial majority does not merely require more competition and choice, but requires more objectives for educational attainment that are clearly defined, practices that are adequately implemented, and evaluations that are based on long-term effectiveness instead of short-term gains. An example given was the fact that public schools face critical challenges when defining equitable access and equality of opportunity for racial minorities in today’s standardized system of education. Due to the fact that Neither African Americans nor Hispanics have been able to receive adequate and equal opportunities to excel, their performance on standardize testing has paled in comparison to the rest of the population in the United States (Heubert & Hauser, 1999; Irvine, 1990; Jencks & Phillips, 1998; McNeil, 2000; Miller, 1995; Viadero, 2000). However, ironically enough, standardize testing is what is being used to measure the level of proficiency of students- even though these students are not being given sufficient tools to be able to learn the material given. Because of this many have scrutinized this system and have...
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...models, or initiatives all claiming to be panacea to heal all the educational achievement woes that exist in society. With the nation’s situation being as it is there is a litany of issues on which to focus concerning academic achievement, or lack thereof. One area of academic achievement gaps in particular continues to plague American education that is the obvious disparity between Black students and White students. According to the National Assessment or Educational Progress (NAEP, 2010), “Achievement gaps occur when one group of students outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant.” The problem with achievement gaps is that they are subject to “The Matthew Effect.” The "Matthew Effect" is an expression made popular by Keith Stanovich. According to Stanovich (1999, p.247), a psychologist whose claim to fame is reading research, The "Matthew Effect" refers to the idea that in reading (as in other areas of life), the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is also true in other areas of academic achievement. If intense intervention strategies are not implemented early and consistently, those students who arrive to school in kindergarten already at a deficit will only fall further behind, thus “The Matthew Effect” meaning that the achievement gap becomes wider over time. What can leaders in education do to close the achievement gap between Black students and White students? The key is to “catch them before...
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...The Gender Achievement Gap Rena Godfrey Capella University ED5540 Strategies for Eliminating the Achievement Gap Quarter & Year: Fall 2013 Email: godfreyrena@gmail.com Instructor: Marge Zuba, Ed.D. Gender Achievement Gap One of the most interesting and actively debated areas in educational research concerns the gender-based achievement gaps in math and science. Despite research efforts and statistical data backing up the notion that girls are falling behind in math and science, there still continues to be significant gender-based achievement gaps that are perpetuated by “insidious gender lessons, micro-inequities…that chip away at girls’ achievement and self-esteem” (Sadker & Sadker, 1994). Research studies shed light on significant decreases in girls’ achievement rates in math and science as early as middle school that continues to decrease into high school. Although the achievement gap in math has declined in recent years (AAUW, 1999), girls consistently score lower on the SAT and ACT than boys do, and the gap does not narrow in college. Researchers struggling to identify the origins of gender differences have examined a range of theories, including biological, environmental, cultural, and cognitive developmental approaches to gender differences. What is Gender Equity? Gender equity implies being treated equally fair for both male and female. Gender refers to the social roles of men and women, and boys and girls, as well as the relationships...
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...Professional Identity The school counseling profession has evolved over time into a collaborative model. This collaborative model involves teachers, school administrators, parents, counselors, other school personal, and community stakeholders. The first guidance program was developed in 1895. In 1926 New York became the first state to require guidance workers to be certified; in 1929 New York became the first state to have full time guidance workers. In 1952 the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) was established, now known as American Counseling Association (ACA). In 1952 The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) was established. In 1958 the National Defense Education Act was passed, which increased training and hiring of school counselors. In 1964 NDEA Title A was passed, providing counseling to elementary schools. In 1997 ASCA published their National Standards, providing benchmarks for student’s competency in academic, career, and personal/social domains. In 2003 the ASCA National Model was published as a framework for school counseling programs it was revised in 2005 and 2012 (Erford, 2015). The collaborative model of school counseling is a cooperative process where the school counselor “helps others in the school community to think through problems and to develop skills that make them more effective in working with student” (Erford, 2015, p.35). Through this model the school counselor partners with parents, educators, and community resources and organizations...
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...known as NCLB was put into affect in 2002 by President George W. Bush. This law affects how students learn, the tests they take, and the way teachers are trained. It’s stated goal is to close the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students, between the disadvantaged and the advantaged, and between those living in poverty and those that are wealthy. After given a standardized test every year, the school is required to take different actions if their school does not improve each year such as directing a chunk of it’s funding to teacher development, giving students the option to transfer, changing it’s curriculum, or having the school shut down altogether. My claim is that we should adjust or amend the No Child Left Behind Act. No Child Left Behind’s attempt to narrow achievement gaps by ensuring that all children receive a quality education is admirable, but it is hardly realistic. Teachers would have to devote their entire time to teaching specifically just math and English. By doing that they block out any other subjects such as science, history, art, or any other important elective or subject. We should adjust the law by having less harsh punishments that way the students and teachers are not constantly stressing, and most importantly because we want to keep the students from doubting themselves academically. Some people may argue that 2 over time the achievement gap will close because we will have devoted enough time to math and English to prove that no child...
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...The achievement gap is a very crucial issue for students all or the world today. Wagner (n.d.) focuses on two forms of the achievement gap, the first being the gap between the quality of schooling that most middle- class kids get in America and quality of schooling available for most poor and minority children. The second gap being the global achievement gap, the gap between our teaching and public schools in the United States versus all students from countries all over the world as a part of our global knowledge economy. McKinsey (2009) gives more details and statistics based on the number of differences in the achievement of white black and Latino students. McKinsey discusses the four different distinct achievement gaps between the United States and other nations; between black and Latino; students and white students; between students of different income levels; and between similar students schooled in different systems or regions (McKinsey 2009). McKinsey (2009) also discusses the gap between black, Latino and white students also known as the racial achievement gap. On average, black and Latino students are roughly two to three years of learning behind white students of the same age. A study showed alarming results that when comparing reading and math scores at the 8th grade level, 48 percent blacks, 43 percent Latino and 17 percent white were “below basic”(McKinsey 2009. Similarly, Wagner (n.d.) and McKinsey both emphasize the global achievement gap and the income...
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...and United States Senate passed it on June 14, 2001. President Bush signed it into law on January 8, 2002. The purpose and mission of the No Child Left Behind Act is to eliminate the achievement gap that exists between groups of students within our nation's schools. A glaring disparity exists in the achievement of Black, Hispanic, and students living in poverty when compared to white and more affluent students in the subjects of reading and mathematics. In 2003, 39 percent of white fourth graders scored at the proficient level in reading, while only 12 percent of Black students and 14 percent of Hispanic students scored at the proficient level in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the "Nation's Report Card." No Child Left Behind stated President Bush's unequivocal commitment to ensuring that every child can read by the end of third grade. To accomplish this goal, the new Reading First initiative would significantly increase the Federal investment in scientifically based reading instruction programs in the early grades. One major benefit of this approach would be reduced identification of children for special education services due to a lack of appropriate reading instruction in their early years. These reforms express my deep belief in our public schools and their mission to build the mind and character of every child, from every background, in every part of America. President George W. Bush January 2001 Three days after taking office...
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...Gender Gap 1 The Elementary Gender Achievement Gap ED5504 Gender Gap 2 Abstract The gender achievement gap has been written about, studied, and defined. This gap exists. It exists in the educational system and in the workplace. It begins in elementary school and continues through higher education. The gender gap can be attributed to many problems. These problems include cultural, socioeconomic, educator expectations, and student environment. Gender Gap 3 Gender equity happens when there is no difference in student achievement in relation to classroom teaching and school environment. Many factors play into the gender achievement gap. Cultural factors, race, and discrimination are part of...
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...The public school systems goal in the United States is to provide every child with equal education. Unfortunately somewhere along the lines the education system in our country has failed to provide this equal education to many of our children, especially minority. It isn’t that the education is not there, but many other things such as , teachers,learning styles, and the culture of the school itself affect a child’s education. African American students at Forest high experience school differently than Whites. For example, many students at school were they are the minority report they feel less connected to school than do their White peers; many Black students contend that they are forced to participate in a system that has little regard for their culture, values, beliefs and cultural-specific behaviors. I believe that is the case at Forest High which is predominately white. Moreover, the belief that their academic performance is compared to a standard based on White, middle-class society and culture is common among Black students. African American students report feeling particularly venerable because of negative serotypes and perceptions about their group (Polite & Davis, 1999). Another issued or trend that affects Forest High is the lack of minority teachers, especially black. The majority (84%) of the U.S. teaching force is White and middle-class. The majority of those are women. Moreover, 38% of the nation’s public schools do not have a teacher of color on staff (U...
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...Plan for Collaboration Cassie Corona Capella University Introduction All schools have a vision or mission statement and this is what they strive to follow as far as what their goal is. My school is no different. To have a vision and action plan of collaboration is important. Having strong community-parent ties can ensure that students are learning and are successful. “When a school begins to function as a professional learning community, teachers become aware of the incongruity between their commitment to ensure learning for all students and their lack of a coordinated strategy to respond when some students do not learn.” (DuFour, 2004) Identifying the Problem Desert View Elementary has a primarily white population of 67%. However, we also have one of the largest Hispanic populations in the district with 29%. Desert View is 56% male and 44% female. About half of the student population comes from low-income families. We serve 53% of the student’s free or reduced meals. There are 14% of students that attend Desert View that are on an IEP and 15% that are ELL. For years now Desert View has been a school within our district that is a choice school. There is a current achievement gap among Desert View and the rest of the school district. The decision of making this school a choice school was made because of the consistently low PAWS test scores. PAWS is our standardized test that students are required to take. Students...
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...Charter Schools There are many different types of schools that falls into the education world; Charter Schools are a part of that world that goes though the learning process, by following a set of steps. Charter schools intend to improve our school system, while operating independently of the school district. They are run by a non-for-profit organization, governed by parents, business leaders, and the education departments in the community. These schools provide instruction for grades K-12. Sometimes they are sponsored by an existing local public schools board. Charter schools do not have a right to charge tuition, and not discriminate against any pupil. The schools have to follow a fair and open admission process. Charters are public schools, with similar operations as a regular public school does. Charters around the world are admitted on a first come first served basis. Some schools use a lottery pick when the applicants exceed available slots in the area. Charter schools operate in exchange for greater accountably. They operate on there basic principles, which are Accountability, Choice, and Autonomy. The schools are held accountable for how the students are educated in a responsible environment. They take pride in how well they meet the student achievement goals. Charter schools are given a few years to have food standers on academic performance. By changes children are not performing well, and their academic performance legs behind compared to public schools, then...
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...Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 is an act that was created to “close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind”. The act was passed by congress on December 13, 2001 and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002 at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, OH. Two years after the President signed the NCLB into law a statue of the President was built outside of Hamilton high school. The NCLB Act was the first major change in education since the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Act costs about one billion-dollars a year and it gives parents a report card on the school’s performance and tells schools they must have highly-qualified teachers. The Act gives states the power to “design and implement” their own annual tests. The federal government does federal testing and shows how well the schools are doing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP is also known as the Nation’s Report Card. The Act gives school districts more control over how federal education funds are used. The federal National Assessment of Educational Progress Assessments are given “periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history”. The Act has ten titles or sections that divide it into ten parts. The two important titles are “Title I -Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged” and “Title II- Preparing, Training, and...
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...Charter Schools There are many different types of schools that falls into the education world; Charter Schools are a part of that world that goes though the learning process, by following a set of steps. Charter schools intend to improve our school system, while operating independently of the school district. They are run by a non-for-profit organization, governed by parents, business leaders, and the education departments in the community. These schools provide instruction for grades K-12. Sometimes they are sponsored by an existing local public schools board. Charter schools do not have a right to charge tuition, and not discriminate against any pupil. The schools have to follow a fair and open admission process. Charters are public schools, with similar operations as a regular public school does. Charters around the world are admitted on a first come first served basis. Some schools use a lottery pick when the applicants exceed available slots in the area. Charter schools operate in exchange for greater accountably. They operate on there basic principles, which are Accountability, Choice, and Autonomy. The schools are held accountable for how the students are educated in a responsible environment. They take pride in how well they meet the student achievement goals. Charter schools are given a few years to have food standers on academic performance. By changes children are not performing well, and their academic performance legs behind compared to public schools, then...
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...Standardized Testing: An Ineffective Way to Measure Students’ Intelligence High-stakes testing turns many classrooms and schools into prep centers rather than offering rich, engaging, well-rounded instruction. Rote and narrow instruction bores and alienates students, making them tune out and feel they are little more than their scores (FairTest, 2004). High schools exit exams (FairTest, 2008) push many thousands of students out of school. As a result of these factors, urban graduation rates have decreased. Some students see no realistic option other than dropping out; some are deliberately pushed out or fail the tests. Either way, these young people are much more likely to end up in trouble or in prison. ("How Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline") According to Peter D. Hart, a research associate for the Association of American Colleges and Universities, standardized tests unfairly measure students’ intelligence and academic performance. Therefore, the tests must be changed drastically or abandoned completely. Educators and parents have vocalized their view on the rising number of standardized tests the government has implemented in efforts to improve education in American schools. In light of the No Child Left Behind legislation under President George W. Bush, the government administers more and more tests to children, predominantly in lower grade levels ("Standardized Testing"). Along with No Child Left Behind, opponents have shown their disapproval of these...
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