The Achievement Gap of Our Children's Education

Achievement gaps appear in education when different groups of students show different levels of learning abilities through “standardized test scores, grade point average, dropout rates, and college-enrollment and college-completion rates” but there is no clear cause for the achievement gap. (Wikipedia) Some methods of observing the gaps are “based on race or ethnicity, income levels, language background, disability status, and gender”. (NEA)

The standard problem of finding out why certain students are having problems in certain subject fields are surmounted by “… the midst of a vast migration of the Black and Latino middle class to suburban school districts, districts that have very little diversity in their staffs and little or no preparation to avoid the polarization, inequality, and resegregation so many urban neighborhoods and schools experienced in years past.” (Orfield)

Many are researching and surveying to try to figure out what the cause is for the achievement gap but the students that seem to be having the most trouble are: “Racial and ethnic minorities; English language learners; Students with disabilities; Boys/girls; Students from low-income families”. (NEA) The findings from this research can range from “no clear relationship between the change in the test scores of black students and the size of the black-white gap” (Clotfelter, Ladd & Vigdor, 2006) to “extremely small mean differences in intelligence across races, but where there are large racial differences in environmental factors that grow in importance as children age.” (Fryer & Levitt, 2006)

References

Clotfelter, C.T., Ladd, H.F., & Vigdor, J.L., (2006), The Academic Achievement Gap in Grades 3 to 8, Retrieved on July 4, 2008 from

http://www.agi.harvard.edu/Search/SearchAllPapers.php

Fryer, R., G. & Levitt, S.D. (2006) Testing for Racial Differences in the Mental Ability of Young Children, http://www.agi.harvard.edu/Search/SearchAllPapers.php

Gursky, D., Rose, M., & Moss, D. (2004) Gap Shrinkers. NEA Today, 22(8), 30. Retrieved on July 4, 2008 from

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=628622121&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1215267118&clientId=11123

NEA (National Education Association), Achievement Gap, Retrieved on July 4, 2008 from http://www.nea.org/achievement/index.html

AND http://www.nea.org/achievement/whois.html

Orfield, G., Race and Schools: The Need for Action. NEA (National Education Association), Retrieved on July 4, 2008

from http://www.nea.org/achievement/orfield08.html?mode=print

Wikipedia. Achievement Gap in the United States, Retrieved on July 4, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achievement_gap