...One of the major issues I have observed is the “achievement gap”. Most educators define the achievement gap as the difference in performance between low-income and minority students compared to that of their peers. Traditionally African-American students lag behind their white peers. In “The Black-White Achievement Gap, why closing it is the greatest civil rights”, former Education Secretary Rod Paige and his sister, Elaine Witty argue that education is the new civil rights. Instead of fighting for issues traditionally associated with civil rights, African American leaders should advocate for the children. Leaders can bring forth change by building public awareness and using their powers to bring necessary change. Rod Paige believes we can narrow the gap by a concerted effort of committed leadership and community involvement. Like leadership, environment also plays a significant role in narrowing the achievement gap. From 2001 – 2007 the Century Foundation tracked two sets of low-income students in Montgomery County Maryland: one group was assigned to higher-income schools and the other was not. Although the lower income students received more funding, the students assigned to the higher-income students were able to cut the achievement gap by almost a third in reading and half in math. The researcher of the study, Heather Schwartz, cited environmental reasons such as a stable set of teachers, less disruptions in the classroom, and more engaged students as reasons for the...
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...Achievement Gap In modern times, education is becoming more and more valued. Today, education is the key to success. Parents and educators stress day in and day out how important it is to receive a quality education and take advantage of it. However, a disturbing gap has formed and has divided students. This gap is most commonly known as the achievement gap. The achievement gap ultimately refers to the difference in performance of specific groups of students based on economic classes, race and gender. The achievement gap is continuously growing and is more prevalent in some cities than others.. In the Midwest the achievement gap is primarily between white students and black students. This achievement gap is due to both internal and external...
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...The achievement gap is a well-known term used in education which refers to the disparity in academic performance between various groups of students. The achievement gap is revealed in grades, test scores, course selections, and both dropout and graduation rates. The purpose of this term is commonly used to portray the very large performance gap between Hispanics, African Americans and Caucasian students. In addition to the ethnic groups, the achievement gap also reveals the difference between low-income families and those who are better off. There are many sources that contribute to this troubling issue in our educational system, but none is bigger than socioeconomics. I find it unfortunate, this factor has assisted in creating a society in which the division between the rich and poor continues to become more distinctive every day....
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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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...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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...Running Head: The Gender Achievement Gap 1 The Gender Achievement Gap Clint Overstreet 2 The No Child Left Behind Act requires that states bring students up to the "proficient" level on state tests and individual schools have to meet state “adequate yearly progress.” This mandate targets not only all “typical” students, but students from all demographics. With this factor of accountability, as well as school success, many researchers have studied the gap in educational achievement and how these gaps can be lessened. The most noted gaps in academic success include the areas of gender, socioeconomic status, race, students with disabilities, and ethnicity (2001). Gender has been one of the areas in which the notable gap in achievement has been studied. Researchers have studied this trend for many years. They attribute this discrepancy in gender achievement to a number of various factors. Possible influences in this gap include: culture, biological factors, theories in gender behavior, and school attitudes and factors (2008). The longtime concern regarding the role gender plays in academic success has been the grounds for numerous studies around the globe. Our culture has strong imbedded ideals on the role of males and females. Although, changes in these roles continue to evolve there continue to be underlying ideals and behaviors, which are often unintentional, which dictate how we view the...
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...The Achievement Gap is the difference on standardized tests between groups of people. Hartford is currently scoring much, much lower on standardized tests and other important aspects of school compared to the rest of CT. In 2011, the average SAT score for the Hartford District was 1,193.9 while CT’s average was 1,513.5( Education Unit Statistics Packet). That's a difference of almost 300 points on the test that is the gateway to college. In the same year on a state math standardized test 21% of Hartford students were below basic while the rest of CT only 7.7% were(Education Unit Statistics Packet). If the Achievement Gap is not fixed then racism will forever be institutionalized. Common Core is a system of education implement by NCLB. It...
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...The American Achievement Gap America. The land of the free. Home of opportunities. A place where all of this may have been accurate, but stands a test of truth today, in the 21st century. One may think that the United States is a wonderful place to live, however if one were to ask an African American single mom of two how her life is going they will find out that there are quite a few things wrong with the way our system works. Or one can simply take a look at our news and get a trifling perception of what our world looks like day to day. One reason behind, more or less, all of our complications is the achievement gap. The achievement gap according to edglossary.org “refers to any significant and persistent disparity in academic performance...
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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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... Broad Topic Area | A Quantitative study to explore research relevant to Relationships between professional development of teachers, student achievement, principal leadership, and student economic status influence closing the achievement gap in Upper Midwest urban schools. | | Lit Review | Professional Development * Professional development standards established in 2011 to develop new policies and practices (Borko, 2012). * The intensity and duration of the professional development indicates the amount of change in classroom practices (Garet et al., 2007).Teacher Knowledge for Improvement * Professional development improves teacher quality by changing teacher practices (Wenglinski, 2002) * Professional development is most effective when designed using actual school data (Borko, 2008; Ingvarson et.al, 2005). * Implementing professional knowledge, based on how schools succeed and effective teaching, is inevitable (Edmonds, 1979). * Through Professional Development programs, school districts maintain highly qualified employees that have skills to improve student achievement (Evan, 2009).Economic Status and Student Achievement * Student achievement begins before children enter school. A child’s home environment, economic status, emotional and social development, health, and cultural identity are related to achievement (Cunningham, 2012).Educational Leadership * Research by Smith and Andrews (1989) strengthened the importance of the principal’s role in creating...
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...Eliminating the Gender Achievement Gap ELIMINATING THE GENDER ACHIEVEMENT GAP Preconceived notions of what boys and girls can and cannot do will have negative effects on both genders. Parents who allow their sons to misbehave and say “boys will be boys” not only damage their view of themselves but it does not teach them the consequences of right and wrong. Telling a boy “big boys do not cry” may create an emotionally stunted boy. Society allows girls to express their emotions but boys must keep them inside. While society does not blink an eye when a boy aspires to becoming an auto mechanic or a girl a stay at home mom, the converse brings discomfort, ridicule, much discussion and even embarrassment for the families. Research shows women have made tremendous gains in the last few decades; however, it is still difficult for them to obtain equality. According to an article from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women make up almost half of all actively employed people in the work force yet; they earn, on average, 23% less than their male counterparts holding the same position (Hegewisch & Hudiburg, 2013, para.1). The pace has been so slow that if it continues at this same rate, it will take over 40 years before women will earn the same salary as men in the same positions (Hegewisch & Hudiburg, 2013, para. 2). What causes this phenomenon? Is it nature or nurture? Is it something that begins in the womb or the formative years...
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...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 socioeconomic...
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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 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...
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