...Factors of the African American Achievement Gap Abstract The proposed action research study will pinpoint factors that contribute to the African American academic achievement gap. These factors impact not only the lives of families in the African American community but continues a vicious cycle of generations of poverty that hinders our country’s ability to effectively compete economically and also threatens America’s capacity to provide social equality for all. The participants in this study will comprise of parents and students of highly concentrated poverty - low academically performing African American public schools. Thirty two parents and thirty two students from eight low performing-poverty schools in the research study will be interviewed and surveyed online. Collected information and data will be researched employing qualitative and quantitative practices. Introduction There was a time when children of color were denied the hope and expectation of equal education because of racial isolation and discrimination in America’s education system. Although it’s been well over 50 years since Brown –vs.- The Board of Education which established equal education for all, today we are still faced with large racial disparities in reading and math proficiency between African American children and their thriving white contemporaries. This purpose of this study is to illustrate the connection that occurs between race and poverty with the academic achievement gap of low...
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...Currently, The Achievement Gap between white students and African American and Hispanic students cannot be completely closed by schools because there are too many outside factors limiting student success. In the contrary, others believe that the achievement gap can be closed through curriculum based changes made by schools themselves. There are factors that both sides can argue but, through investigation, I found that it is not possible to close the gap between white students and African American and Hispanic students by the help of schools alone. The issues preventing schools from closing the achievement gap stem from factors outside of school. The issues start with racial bias rooted in the government and results in unequal funding being...
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...Educational achievement is influenced by a variety of factors, each of which is interwoven with another. Gender influences educational achievement for a variety of reasons and in a number of different ways. I intend to describe the ways in which educational achievement differs between males and females and the possible reasons for this variation between the sexes. Social class and ethnicity also play important parts in affecting the achievement of individuals and groups. I intend to discuss their affects on results seen in education and the way in which these factors are interwoven with one another. I will highlight the importance of each of these factors in determining the achievement of individuals and groups in education and the reasons behind their importance. Over the last ten years, the gender gap between the achievement of males and females in education has been growing in developed countries. (Gibb, Fergusson and Horwood, 2008) On average, girls in England achieve better results in most subjects at all levels of education. The issue is not confined to the UK as the problem also presents itself in other countries. (Machin and McNally, 2005) Women in the USA have continued to be more educated than men since the mid 1970’s. (Charles and Luoh, 2003 in Machin and McNally, 2005) Females attain more school and post school qualifications than males and also attend university in higher numbers. (Alton-Lee and Pratt, 2001, in Gibb, Fergusson and Horwood, 2008) National statistics...
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...a number of programs aimed at improving U.S. education in elementary, middle, and high school by increasing accountability standards. The aproach of NCLB is based on theories in education that high expectations and goal setting will result in greater educational achievement for most students. High standards for all students as well as educators are quality goals, however, using standardized tests to measure success is not the most effective method. Having high standards is a necessary part of our nation's success, it sets a high level of accountability and provides benchmarks for both the student and educators. Those schools that are categorized as performing poor are required to have supplemental asistance like tutoring, after school programs or even replacing teacher completely. Schools risk being restructured or even taken over by the state is after five years of not making adequate yearly progress. But standardized testing is an ineffective way of assessing individual student performance. This type of test gives reason to teach according to what is on the test, rather than for authentic learning. When using standardized tests there is no room to account for differennt learning styles and strengths of each student. Everyone learns differenntly but with this type of test doesn't allow for individuality. NCLB believes that boosting standardized tests scores should be the primary goal of schools, this asumption leads to the one size fits all teaching aimed primarily at test preparation...
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...The Effect of Parents on Grade Point Average May 20th 2014 Lakeland High School Advisor: Stacy Oddi 1630 Bogie Lake Road White Lake, MI 48383 (248) 676-8320 Stacy.oddi@hvs.org Abstract Researchers instructed Lakeland High School eleventh grade students to take a survey given to them. This survey was conducted in order to find data showing a correlation between single parents and a low grade point average. Fifty surveys were given out to two separate classes. This survey asked students about their family life at home and their grade point average. Most of the students took it seriously, but there are other variables that could have affected the results. There was no correlation found between a single parent and a student’s average GPA. There are several factors that influence a student’s school grade point average, also known as GPA. Family life, with either a single parent or married parents, could affect students in school. It’s important to look at this topic to see how kids in school are influenced by family life. This could show why some students are more or less likely to succeed than others, thus being beneficial to see how a child’s family life influences how well they do in school. There are numerous studies closely related to how certain relationship elements can impact a student’s performance in school. Researchers have studied the relationship between teachers and students. There was a positive correlation when the teachers had a good relationship...
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...Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Ethiopia Vol. 3 (4), July, 2009 ISSN 1994-9057 (Print) ISSN 2070-0083 (Online) Study Habit, Self-Concept and Science Achievement of Public and Private Junior Secondary School Students in Ogun State, Nigeria (Pp. 492-506) Olatoye, R. A. - Institute of Education, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria E-mail: kingdemola@yahoo.com Abstract This study compared study habit, self-concept and science achievement of students in public and private junior secondary schools in Ogun State, Nigeria. Twelve secondary schools were randomly selected from Egba and Ijebu divisions of the state. A sample of three hundred and sixty (360) students participated in the study. Three research instruments were used to collect data. There was no significant difference in study habit and selfconcept of students in public and private schools. However, private school students performed significantly better than their public school counterparts in integrated science (t = 3.400, p<0.05). In both public and private schools student study habit and self-concept combined together and singularly predicted science achievement. Counsellors should encourage students to study and also train them on how to improve their self-concept in order to improve science achievement. Key Words: Study habit, self-concept, science achievement, public and private schools, junior secondary schools. Introduction Scientific discoveries affecting individuals and the society at large are frequently...
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...The Effect of African-American Students Socioeconomic Status on how it Affects College Retention and Graduation Rates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Abstract With Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) graduation rates at the lowest they have been in the last decade I have become concerned. It makes me wonder what is causing this and what needs to be done in order to change this. While reading an article from The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (JBHE) I found out that out of the thirty-seven of the four year HBCUs only four of them have a graduation rate over fifty percent. These institutions are Spelman College with a rate of seventy-nine percent, Howard University with a rate of sixty-four percent, Morehouse College with a rate of sixty-one percent, and Hampton University with a rate of fifty-four percent (JBHE, 2012). The purpose of paper is to find out what are some of the factors that are playing a major role in the graduation and retention rates of African-American students at HBCUs and what can be done to help increase these numbers. The Effect Students Socioeconomic Status on High it Affects College Retention and Graduation Rates The first thing that I wanted to look at was the family background of the average African-American student attending a HBCU. I wanted to know how their socioeconomic status directly affected their overall performance, and if the parental educational attainment affected the student’s success while...
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...SEDL – Advancing Research, Improving Education The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement Annual Synthesis 2002 A New Wave of Evidence Anne T. Henderson Karen L. Mapp SEDL – Advancing Research, Improving Education The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement Annual Synthesis 2002 A New Wave of Evidence Anne T. Henderson Karen L. Mapp Contributors Amy Averett Joan Buttram Deborah Donnelly Marilyn Fowler Catherine Jordan Margaret Myers Evangelina Orozco Lacy Wood National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools SEDL 4700 Mueller Blvd. Austin, Texas 78723 Voice: 512-476-6861 or 800-476-6861 Fax: 512-476-2286 Web site: www.sedl.org E-mail: info@sedl.org Copyright © 2002 by Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from SEDL or by submitting a copyright request form accessible at http://www.sedl.org/about/copyright_request.html on the SEDL Web site. This publication was produced in whole or in part with funds from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, under contract number ED-01-CO-0009. The content herein does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department...
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...This research paper was designed to give insight into the importance of parental involvement in early childhood education, and why there is a need to increase parental involvement. It examines the elements of parental involvement, and its effects on achievement and social development in children. It reviews traditional methods of parental involvement, and considers the need for change. It also highlights how technology can be implemented to increase parental participation, and student achievement and social development. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Improving Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education 4 Educational Significance 10 Definition of Terms 11 Literature Review 12 Current/Past Solutions to the Problem in Practice 15 Proposed Solutions to the Problem 16 Integration of Proposed Solutions with Current/Past Solutions 17 Conclusion 18 Suggestions for Further Research 19 References 20 Improving Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education Through the Use of Technology A growing number of studies confirm positive associations between parental involvement in schools and academic achievement, and social and emotional development (Baker & Soden, 1997). In 18 school districts across six states (including Florida), major legislation found the need for improving parental involvement at all levels of education. Parental involvement is a concern...
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...families. The environment of peer groups also changes during adolescence period. There are three groups during adolescents , the early, middle and the late adolescent peer groups. During this period, child still on Identity vs Role Confusion according to the theory of Erik Erickson. This is the period teens develop a sense of self and personal identity. Peer group can either have a positive and negative output not only in the society but also on academic performance of a child. According to Rubin, the tendency of an individual associates themselves with others who share amount of similar attributes in social dynamic is what we called homophily. For example, adolescent peer groups who have been found to be more homologous than the other student body who reported in smoking frequency, intake of alcohol, use of illegal substance such as marijuana and coccaine. Homophily of peer groups has been found among the academic characteristics such as having a high GPA(Grade Point Average), having an ambition to go or enter college, time management and engagement in any school or academic activities. There are two processes that contribute to homophily: Socialization and selection. Socialization refers to having to associate with different people while the selection refers to having to select the peers or the people a person wants to associate with. Socialization can also be referred as peer pressure. For example social reinforcement may play the role. Social...
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...Influence of Parenting Styles on Junior Secondary School Students' Performance in Social Studies in ilorin Emirate AbdulRaheem Yusuf, Ayorinde Samuel Agbonna and Hamdalat Taiwo Yusuf Department of Arts and Social Sciences Education, University of llorin, llorin Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of parenting styles on junior secondary school students' performance in social studies in llorin Emirate, Nigeria. The study used questionnaire and Proforma to collect data on parenting styles and students' performance. The data on junior school certificate and parenting styles were analyzed using frequency count, percentages and chi- square to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses raised in the study. The results showed that the parenting styles adopted had influence on the performance of the students. In addition, it was observed that students from authoritative parenting had better performance than students from other parenting styles. It was recommended among others that parents should adopt authoritative parenting style to enhance optimal performance of the students. In addition, the school should create structures and strengthen the existing ones that would provide parent training intervention. Introduction The relationship between a student and his or her parents has been noted to have an influential impact on not only the studen t performance in school but also in his/her life generally. Parenting styles...
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...Educational achievement of students demands urgent attention to attain their goals. A numerous researches have been conducted to contribute to determine the predictors of educational success of college students. A research work always takes the advantages of the information and the knowledge that had been accumulated in the past as a result of constant research endeavour by mankind. According to Koul (2009) research can never be undertaken in the isolation of the work that has already been done on the problems related to the study propose by any researcher. Every researcher reviewed the related literature from the different resources that includes research journal, articles, books, magazines, encyclopedias, dissertations, abstracts, international year books, theses and most important in the present era the internet access. The detailed account of review of related literature pertaining to variables under study, namely academic achievement, parental encouragement, achievement motivation and intelligence is presented here under. 2.1 STUDIES RELATED TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Krishnan (1977) conducted a study on non-intellectual factors and their influence on academic achievement. The sample comprised of 180 students of sixth to ninth class studying in central school Tirupati and was divided into three groups depending on their parents‟ education as high, middle and low. The results indicated that parents‟ educational status had significant influence on the academic...
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...STUDY,” ON THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AT A DEDICATED ACADEMIC MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Educational Leadership, Research, and Counseling by Josephine Ann Allen B.S., Nicholls State University, 1976 M.A., Southern University, 1988 M.A., Southern University, 1990 December, 2003 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ who has given me this wonderful gift and to my loving mother, Mrs. Daisy Celestin Allen, who has always believed in education and has supported me throughout my academic endeavors. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am most appreciative to my former principal, Mr. James B. Williams, Jr., who encouraged me to complete this study and East Baton Rouge Parish for allowing me to conduct this research. I am also thankful to the participants in the study - teachers, students, parents, and administrators of Baton Rouge Magnet High School - for allowing me to conduct this research. I want to acknowledge a former student of mine, Harley Becnel, for reminding me of why I started this educational journey and why I persisted to complete the process. All children deserve to be properly educated. With love for and support of each other, teachers and students can endure challenges and...
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...Status of Parents, a Determinant on Academic Performance of Senior Secondary Schools Students in Ibadan, Nigeria Osonwa, O.K1 Adejobi, A.O2 Iyam, M.A3 Osonwa, R.H4 Calabar. Doi: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n1p115 Abstract r the and the academic performance of their ch dren from higher income Key Words: 1. Introduction Academic performance (most especially of senior secondary school students) has been largely associated with many factors. Most students in senior...
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...According to Fryer (2006) minority students who achieve good grades at school are less popular than their white counter-parts. This article did not change my perception of minority students who put effort in their academic goals. As an African-American female, I have been blessed to be raised by parents who instilled the love and importance of education in my siblings and me since early childhood. My father earned his bachelor degree in agricultural engineering and my mother earned her bachelor degree in textile arts and they always reminded us that nobody was born smart and it’s all about the effort you put in to achieve your goals. I work in a Title I school where 92% of students are ‘at-risk’ African-American who comes from low-income homes,...
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