...Implications for Adolescent Achievement. Social Science Quarterly, 92(3), 761–781. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2011.00791.x Introduction There are various contexts that influence achievement outcomes amongst adolescents from different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. However, racial achievement gap still exists and is still a persistent problem. Lindsay (2011) in the article, All Middle-Class Families Are Not Created Equal: Explaining the Contexts that Black and White Families Face and the Implications for Adolescent Achievement, aims at exploring the relationship that exist between socioeconomic status, race and achievement in adolescents. This is aimed at offering an explanation as to why achievement gaps between whites and blacks all levels persist. Lindsay (2011) is right to narrow the focus of this study down to three specific contexts including parenting practices and styles, neighborhood characterisitics and adolescents time usage. This, according to Bronfrenbrenner (1979), is important since neighbouhoods and familial characteristics have a greater influence on achievement. Statement of Thesis and...
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...Racism Still Exist in the 21st Century Many are oblivious that racism still exists today. We are often taught that racism is a thing of the past. In school we study the notorious figures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. The concepts of segregation and inequality are often taught in a historical context. However, if you take a look around racism is very present in today’s society and can be found by looking at the achievement gap, and mass incarceration system. Another representation that racism exists today is the concept of white privilege, which is deeply immersed into society. The achievement gap is a major aspect when we think of racism in the twenty-first century. According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), there are large gaps in test scores between African American students and White students (Vanneman, A., Hamilton, L., Baldwin Anderson, J., and Rahman, T. 2009). At the age of nine and thirteen students are given a test in both reading and mathematics to determine the level at which they are performing (Vannerman, et al., 2009). The results are then translated to a scale by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). From this scale experts have gathered valuable information that confirms the achievement gap is still present today. Many say that the achievement gap is due to various reasons. One main reason that seems to be associated with achievement gap is the stability of the parents (Vannerman, et...
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...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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...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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...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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...were now doing better than boys who were now underachieving. In 2006 10% more females were obtaining 2 or more A-levels than males. Women are now getting better degrees than men. Sociologists have looked into this gender diversion from a social perspective. What made this reversal so sudden and why did it occur? Feminists believe that the education system is patriarchal and dominated by men, just like the work force is. Feminists argue that the education system is just a primary preparation for leading into the future work force. They believe there are still gender differences in subject choice in schools. Sociologists Heaton and Lawson (1996) argue that the ‘hidden’ curriculum is a major source of gender socialisation; within education, various subjects are aimed at a certain gender group; for example cooking would be aimed at girls doing house work and cooking. While most schools now title this course, Food Technology, feminists believe that the subject is still designed to 'snare' girls into adopting a mode of behaviour a patriarchal society accept and that the gap between girls and boys is still there in today’s society. Feminists also believe that gender stereotyping may still exist in society as boys are believed to fit better in the future workforce than girls. Reasons given forward for girls previously underachieving in education have been due to females being family orientated and family focused, that education was patriarchal and socialisation of the role they are expected...
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...aboriginal project will be critically analysed of how the project objectives is defined, planned and managed (Morris 1990, p. 201). Also, the stakeholders will also be analysed of how their roles can affect the project outcome. Analysis will also include how the project is managed by the project manager and their efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, the outcome of the project is analysed whether they lead to a success or failure of the project (Morris 1990, p.198). 'Close the gap' Aboriginal program is a project that aim to provide more advantages for Indigenous with respect to their life expectancy, child mortality, access to early childhood education, educational achievement and employment outcomes. This program was induced by the Australian Government in 2008 and was targeted to focus on health, housing, early childhood, education, economic participation, and remote service delivery (Department of Health, Primary Health Care 2008). Aboriginal sexual health program is one of the current ‘Close the gap’ projects. The purpose of the Aboriginal sexual health is to enhance the sexual and reproductive health, wellbeing and safety of young Aboriginal South Australian. Investing in Aboriginal youth program is included in the project and aims to improve the sexual health literacy of Aboriginal young people to understand positive and respectful relationships. It includes health, education and community workers and Aboriginal teenagers within rural, remote and metropolitan Aboriginal...
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...Katie Edmonds Professor Kefalas Social Problems April 30,2015 Paul Tough’s, Whatever It Takes wants to answer certain questions that are at the heart of the debate about poverty in the United States. Why are people poor? Why do these people stay poor? And what efforts need to be taken to get these people out of poverty? This book is an inspirational account of one man’s journey to try to boost the educational achievement in New York City’s Harlem. Geoff Canada is the man behind this journey. Canada grew up extremely poor in the South Bronx, but he defied all odds and made his way out. Throughout his life he has tried to help a scattered amount of poor through a series of non-profits. But all these efforts seemed very short lived and his reach was very limited. But his new idea is on a different scale. He launched a multimillion-dollar initiative program called the Harlem Children’s Zone. This zone refers to the 97-block area of Harlem and serves more than 10,00 children and 13,000 adults. Neighborhoods like Harlem exist all over the country. Detroit, New Orleans, Houston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia are just to name a few. In all of these cities there are neighborhoods where poverty is concentrated, where crime rates are higher, test scores are lower, and good jobs are pretty much nonexistent. These kids seem destined to have a dim future because of their situation when they are young. What Geoff Canada is trying to prove in Harlem is that there is a way out for those...
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...Differences in educational achievement refer to the significant differences in educational success and failure. This difference can be found between the two genders where it is a fact that girls outperform boys in the education system; some may argue that this is a result of factors outside of school. The validity of this or whether the differences are caused by factors outside school will be discussed. One reason as to why it can be argued that gender differences in educational achievement are caused by factors outside school is because of changes in society’s views on females. In past generations, girls would not attend school and instead stay at home and learn from their mother how to cook and look after children, they were nurtured to become housewives for their future husbands. This meant that women had low aspirations, however this has changed. Sue Sharpe argues that this is a result of a gender quake that society is experiencing. Previously, girls had aspired to get married at a young age and become mothers to children early on in their lives. However, girl’s priorities have changed to getting an education so that they can have a career (Francis and Skelton) and therefore being able to support themselves above all other priorities rather than relying on a husband. This therefore means society accepts that it is normal for girls to get an education and provide for themselves; therefore society’s views on women can be argued to be an important outside school factor to influence...
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...If success was a measured horizon I believe it is reasonable to say that the minorities’ sun would be set the lowest. People do not make a bold promulgation when they bring awareness to the vast and overall underachievement of Black and Hispanic people compared to their White peers. Part of the cause for the ongoing rift exists in provincial school institutions that can not properly provide for their students. Subsequently another factor subsists because of the poor schooling and the negative results they tend to yield. The achievement gap is hard pressed to be bridged when students, also known as the future workforce, are not adequately acquainted for middle class jobs. The effect is cyclical in the sense that poor schools lead to lackluster...
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...(formerly Our Place). The app is aimed at teens and tweens, and it is meant to be a safe social networking platform and forum for giving and getting advice. I am a moderator on the app, so I help to promote cyber kindness and ensure safety by mediating conflicts and removing offensive content. I am also a QA Tester, so I get to contribute ideas for future builds and test new versions before release. Furthermore, I practice leadership in my physical community, where, since sophomore year, I have been a volunteer tutor for an organization called Math is My Friend, which works to close the achievement gap and improve the math skills of children from lower income families. I believe that this shows leadership in computing, because a main goal is to show kids why it is important to understand math, as math is an essential skill for understanding the algorithms and problem-solving processes which exist within technology’s core. I value the chance I get every Saturday to witness kids’ ingenuity. For example, a sixth grader, Skye, once informed me that you can make your pimples go away by holding a magnet to your face for an...
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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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...Overall, it allows teachers to grow and change. This is not a theory that initiates a move to “close the Achievement Gap” such as in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. CSP does not compare or contrast academics and success to a student’s background and upbringing. I believe that this is an important factor in the differences between CSP and CRP. Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy refers to wanting teaching to be present in their reflections and actions and always consider their diverse student population. Critical Media Literacy was another topic within the past weeks. Critical Media Literacy is a way of teaching and learning. Past readings would argue that “a critical media pedagogy can help young people to identify concepts such as hegemony and ideology and understand that the mass media are not neutral entities” (Morrell, 2005). CML offers students with everyday...
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...STATE AND DISCUSS FIVE FACTORS OF INEQUALITY IN OUR SOCIETY In this course we will investigate what causes gender inequality. This question is of great importance and it is a very general question that immediately implies a variety of more specific questions. Why has gender inequality seemingly existed in all known societies? Why did gender inequality arise originally? Why did gender inequality persist even as technological and cultural evolution overwhelmingly transformed social, economic and political organization? What is it that people do that sustains gender inequality across generations? The closer and more critically we examine the issues, the more questions about causation we confront. In general, this course will concentrate on explaining inequality between women and men: how does it arise why does it take different forms, why does it vary in degrees across societies; what are the components that add up to gender inequality how do various institutions and practices contribute to it and how does it changed the course will emphasize the history of gender inequality in the United States. While we focus on gender inequality, we will also seek to understand social causation more generally, we will explore the diverse ways social causation works and how we can identify the causes behind important social phenomena. Introduction: What do we mean by inequality? How can we conceive of and talk about gender inequality in ways that are general enough to apply across the...
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...Mohanty (2015) looks at the role education plays in determining income and intergenerational mobility later in life. Mohanty sees the recent increase in earnings gap to be concerning, as the number of poor people increase and the wealthy people watch earnings take off. The paper proposes an increase in education as an intervening mechanism to increase the earning potential for an...
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