A widespread issue for Americans, the achievement gap is a significant inequality that young minorities face. Directly correlated with the societal injustices of poverty and racism, often resulting in limited opportunities and socioeconomic stagnation, the achievement gap encompasses the disparity in education performance of students by race and income. As the basic values of a democratic government include justice and liberty, it is imperative that a democracy and democratic citizens provide equal opportunity for all, especially in the realm of education. A democratic government should respond to the achievement gap issue by not only addressing educational inequality, but also structural injustices that often affect minorities. As a result …show more content…
Especially related to educational achievement, citizens must prevent and be cognizant of personal prejudice and stereotyping, in addition to raising awareness of racist policies and institutionalized predispositions against minorities. While it is difficult for one citizen to make a difference, an individual can address inequalities by participating in governmental events such as town hall meetings, conventions, and most importantly voting for political parties that prioritize helping minority communities and the impoverished. Additionally, with the right to speak freely, a democratic citizen can organize with others to raise awareness and influence the government to support their agenda of lowering the achievement gap. Lastly, a true democratic citizen will act for the common good, volunteering for students and families in need of support to make a helpful impact in the community instead of waiting for government action. Though unable to completely influence a democracy alone, individual citizens have many avenues to implement change through awareness, political participation, and community
Throughout decades, education inequality is still one of the most deliberate and controversial issues in the United States. Thus far, the privilege or right to receive education has not attained the level of equality throughout the nation. Poor districts obtain less educational funds while rich districts obtain more, which create an immense gap between the quality of schools in poor and rich areas. In other words, the education gap is the root of inequality in America. Inequality in education is linked to the major problems in the society. The need for studies to be done to find ways of overcoming these inequalities is very inevitable. The means of mitigating these inequalities are important for the entire world. This is something of great interest due to the fact that children need quality education which is a pillar for a guaranteed future. Generally speaking, the distinctions among races, genders, and classes in the society have caused the educational inequality in America.
The achievement gap is defined as the disparity between the performance groups of students, especially groups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, ability and socio-economic status. The achievement gap can be observed through a variety of measures including standardized test scores, grade point averages, drop out rates, college enrollment and completion rates. The Black-White achievement gap is a critical issue in modern society’s education system. Although data surrounding the issue clearly indicates that the racial performance gap exists in areas of standardized tests, graduation rates, dropout rates, and enrollment in continuing education, the causative reasons for the gap are ambiguous—therefore presenting a significant challenge in
The “achievement gap” in education refers to the disparity in academic performance between groups of students. The achievement gap is shown in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection, dropout rates, among other success measures. It’s most often used to describe the troubling performance gaps between African-American and latino students, towards the lower end of the performance scale, compared to their white peers, and the similar academic differences between students from low-income families and those who are privileged. In the past decade, scholars and policy makers began focusing their attention on other achievement gaps, such as those based on sex, English language and learning disabilities.
the term receivement gap is useful because it focuses attention on educational inputs-what the students receive on their educational journey, instead of outputs-their performance on a standardized test. This refocusing also moves attention away from the students as the source of these disparities, and toward the larger structure and forces that play a role in their education and development (p. 417). Venzant-Chambers (2009) asserted the issue of the Black and White achievement gap must be viewed through other lenses opposed to the single view of Black students cannot perform as well as White students. Venzant-Chambers (2009) offered other avenues by which to examine the achievement gap such as school tracking, examining the
In debates about public education, what is the “achievement gap?” What policies have been implemented to address this
The achievement gap is a series of test that students have to take, which score how smart or dumb they are. Of course it is also separated by race to see who is doing better. The test for academic performance is unfair all around because not all students receive the same education or the same help in or out of school. Those that are White students usually perform a lot better than those that are from minority homes and again higher and lower income students will be different in score and in education. These test that they are obligated to take is more of a student-to-student competition between each other.
As I read about the achievement gap (Taylor), I felt a sense of despair. Families of color are positioned between a rock and a hard place. When children enter kindergarten, the racial gap is half of its ultimate size because many children of color do not participate in high-quality programs. How can people of color "catch up" to their counterparts when they are behind at the age of 5? There are also institutional factors that continue this achievement gap and perpetuate racism by consequence. After Brown v Board of Education (1954), white families enrolled their children in private and suburban schools. Since school busing has been discontinued, school assignments based on residential neighborhoods have created racially segregated schools.
Ravitch?s discussion on ?achievement gaps? points out that African American students academic scores have progressed remarkably since 1990 to 2011. She also states that the Hispanic and Asian have progressed as well. Achievement gaps will continue to be an issue, as long as there are different races, ethnic groups, the poor and the wealthy. The more disadvantaged one is, is going to lack in education and prosperity. To solve an issue like the achievement gap, we need to take action and begin at the root. These children are suffering because lack of proper education in the school system, which stems from the poverty in the segregated neighborhoods. Low income
As minority students increased in urban public schools, they have now become the majority of the school population and have brought difficult topics to the surface; race and ethnicity. In Another Inconvenient Truth: Race and Ethnicity Matter, Hawley and Nieto published their beliefs on how cultural differences are not to be tucked away and hidden in an educational setting, but embraced and celebrated to promote education by the teacher in an academic journal: Educational Leadership. Their appeals and claims provide various instruction to guide professional educators to overcome the achievement gap.
In America today there is a well-known “Achievement Gap” that effects the educational system today. The Achievement Gap is a theory that there is a learning gap in the way white students learn and retain information as opposed to the minority. In this minority group there falls one of the most prominent, black males. The question is why? Why has the graduation rate of black males decreased so much in 10 years? Why is this gap expanding over the years? Finally what are people doing to stop it? Are black males inferior to the other races and groups? The answer lies in the minds of black males, they are finding other ways around the educational system that may or may not be good.
For students at RYP, the achievement gap, referring to the disparity of educational performance of students by race and income stems from overlapping societal injustices
When the conversation about achievement gap is broached, it is often offensive towards minorities. Mainly because it implies that you’re acknowledging the fact that there is and achievement difference among their race and Whites. Personally I have no problem with the term because it is factual. It’s what school officials are not doing to close this gap that i have a problem with The achievement gap is sustained by poor school management and teaching—not other social or cultural factors. In order to close this gap among students, school officials must better prepare teachers, implement a common core curriculum, and encourage positive teacher-student relationships.
The achievement gap, as most educators know it, isn’t just something seen or experienced at a district level. This is something with national implications, which will be felt for generations to come if it is not addressed now. Yet many people ask “so what? Why do anything about it?” According to a report from The Center for American Progress, longstanding racial and ethnic gaps in education and other areas are growing in part due to income and wealth inequality. This suggests that decisions made today, will directly impact America’s economy tomorrow.
Education is always indispensable, and every development comes from education. For example, the progression of manufacturing or devising the robot, phone and computer all establish in education. Without education, people could not have an advantageous life. In other words, the developments, convenient substances and achievements are from education. However, the society has been converting into complicated, and some inequalities and issues from education relate to income and the situation of families and communities which will beget achievement gap. For instance, The Facts about the Achievement Gap written by Diane Ravitch, mentions: “The children at the wrong end of the gap are likelier to attend schools in overcrowded classrooms with inadequate
It is an “inherent right of every child in America” (Heafner & Fitchett, 2015, p. 245) to have equitable opportunities to learn, yet this right is being denied to numerous students due to the concept of the opportunity gap. Reflecting on my elementary school days, I witnessed and experienced what I now understand as the opportunity gap in action. The opportunity gap concept is a systematic imbalance of educational opportunities for students that are less fortunate regarding educational resources and programs or communities, which ultimately affects student academic achievement and may explain achievement gaps (). I believe I got the long end of the stick, having received a quality education that pushed me intellectually and socially. However,