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Achievement Gap Research Paper

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The term “Achievement Gap” is used to describe the constant discrepancies of performance measures between groups of students by socioeconomic conditions, race, and gender; there is also a segment that focuses on the achievement of disabled students. White students are by far more privileged in regards to education. Minority students are students who are not Caucasian, but are of Hispanic, African American, or Asian descent. Minority students test scores have always been lower than that of their white peers. Minority students are also more likely to get lower paying jobs, are less likely to pursue higher education than their white peers and are at more of a risk to be put in special education classes. In the 1980s there was a push in education …show more content…
Some minority groups (Hispanics, Native American, First Nations people and African American students) are more likely to drop out than their white and Asian peers. Some students who live in impoverish conditions and in single family homes simply drop out because they feel the necessity to contribute to their families’ finances. An additional factor to add is peer involvement and pressure. There was a time when it was strictly inner city students who dropped out to do drugs and commit crimes. Now drugs are everywhere and have already invaded schools. Those same students are turning to crime and gangs as way to get the things needed to survive. In some communities finishing high school and even going to college are farfetched, there’s more pressing matters to deal with like being in the wrong place at the wrong …show more content…
It was signed in to law in 2001, although it was an edit on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that was enacted in 1965, and again revised in 1994. (Darling Hammond, Linda) The act pushed for all students to be on the same level of education. This act had the government dictating what teachers could teach and put too much emphasis on test scores. Teachers were struggling to meet state standards, while also making sure students were pushed to take countless tests. The tests were then compared to other countries around the world who only test their top 10%, while America tests everyone; including disabled

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