The southern part of the United States is often profiled as having large problems with segregation in schools. Data from The Civil Rights Project for 2011 and 2012 show that there is a segregation problem in the south but not in all southern states.
Month: April 2019
Closing gaps in achievement is an ongoing priority for all educators and schools. Over many decades, both national attainment data and research findings have consistently shown that, on average, pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve well below their more advantaged peers. Continue reading
There is an easy way to improve your child’s academic future. Early Childhood Care and Education is a way to create a strong foundation for your child’s emotional, social and academic. Continue reading
Affirmative Actions is a controversial and complex issues. If often gets obfuscated by partisan politics and race baiting, but at its core, it acts as an equalizing force. Affirmative action, in the academic context, can best be defined as favoring a person of a specific race or ethnicity to compensate for past racial prejudice. Continue reading
Do we need better teachers?
The answer is absolutely, yes!
The central role of teachers has a direct correlation to student achievement. While other factors such as, families, summer programs and communities are obviously very important factors in a student’s development, it is the school and particularly the teachers and administrators that are given the public responsibility for the education of the children. There is a general consensus that improving the effectiveness of teachers is the key to narrowing the achievement gap. Continue reading
Disability | noun | dis⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty | /ˌdisəˈbilədē/ | “a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in daily activities and interactions.” Continue reading
The educational achievement gap in the United States highlights the disparities of various forms of access, support, opportunities, treatment and attention across lines of race and socioeconomic status. It is well understood that, on a national level, white students preform better in school than their black classmates based off of test scores, enrollment in advanced classes and graduation rates (see hereand here). This understanding has harsh implications that may lead to the manifestation of particular biases that could potentially foster the maintenance of the achievement gap (see here, hereand here). These attitudes and biases, however statistically supported they may be, can be harmful because it leads to the notion that white culture better supports a students educational experience. This stereotype is not so easily quantifiable due to the difficulty in measuring cultural and ideological understandings of success, but one way it is made very visible is through a school’s implementation and enforcement of dress codes, which has become a highly contested issue covered by major media outlets. Continue reading
Just like from the song “What Time Is It” from the iconic teen movie, High School Musical 2, it’s all about summer time. Okay, well maybe it’s not all about summer time, but when it comes to matters of the achievement gap, summer is a crucial time for helping to improve or providing a detriment to the achievement gap. Continue reading
The publication of the Coleman Report in 1966 was the first time that widespread attention focused on learning disparities between demographic groups in the American education system. Since then, the development of technology has led to an expansion of its classroom use, but it has also shown a new achievement gap growing in the area of technology. Continue reading
From the day a child is born, parents are faced with the decision of how they are going to raise their child. Are they going to be demanding and set high expectations for their child or are they going to sit back and let their child find their way?
When the discussion comes up about the achievement gap, many people look at schools where there is a huge disparity between different groups of students. After that, researchers examine these schools to see what they are doing wrong, and what they could be doing better, but what about schools and regions where we see a drop in the achievement gap? Continue reading
Data from the 2017 American census shows that the United States is rapidly becoming an increasingly diverse nation, with the number of racial and ethnic minorities growing faster than that of whites. Continue reading
Student mobility is a major issue in the nation’s public schools and is intricately tied to the residential mobility of a family. Presently, little has been done to confront this major issue. Student mobility occurs when a student changes schools in the middle of an academic year and can occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the reasons for a move are by choice, such as when a student or family moves for better job or school opportunities. However, the reasons for movement are frequently due to an inability to pay rent, a period of homelessness, or expulsion (see here).
On January 15, 2019, the New York Times published an article by Claire Cain Miller titled “‘It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way.’ Why Some Boys Can Keep Up With Girls in School.” This article makes an argument that boys perform less well in school due to traditional notions of masculinity that disincentivize boys from putting forth the effort required to do well in school. Continue reading
The average salary for teachers in America about 45,500. On top of low pay teachers in high needs schools often use money out of their own pocket in order to fund and support classroom activities. In America, there is currently a large amount of protest for higher teacher pay. Many believe that higher pay will mean better teachers, but does a raise in salary specifically means that there will be an improvement in teacher performance? Continue reading
Punishment Disparities Between White And Black Students
It is no surprise to read that black males get arrested and charged for longer periods of time then white makes do. So is it that absurd to hear that black male students get suspended and punished harder than white male students in public school systems? I think it is and if you look into some data you can see just how extreme the results actually are! Continue reading
We all know that parent involvement in a child’s education plays a critical role in their success. When parents are involved in things such as, committees at the school, present at parent teacher conferences, and take time to go over and practice things the kid is learning, it can drastically improve a child’s attentiveness in the classroom, due to the fact that their parents are making it seem more easy and fun for their child, as well as due to the fact that extra practice increases one’s ability to master the topic faster and more swiftly. Continue reading
Self-concept in mathematics is of great import in the achievement gap between males and females because it has been found to be deeply related to future achievement and activity choices. Mathematic self-concept is a reflection of an individual’s evaluation of their ability in mathematics. Numerous studies have linked high mathematics self-concepts to higher levels of future achievement. For example, in a study exploring factors that impact achievement in mathematics, it was revealed that confidence in mathematics and attitude towards it, both self-concept related factors, were the two strongest predictors of mathematics achievement for males and females (Ercikan, McCreith, & Lapointe, 2010). Herein, high levels of confidence in mathematics and positive attitudes towards the subject tended to have higher achievement scores. Self-concept has also been found to be a strong predictor of course selection in secondary school (Marsh & Yeung, 1997). Continue reading
It is common sense that smaller class sizes are beneficial to both teachers and students alike because teachers are more effective in the classroom. The reason is logical;
In 2016 in America, one in five children have some form of learning or attention issue. In addition, in 2017 it is estimated that more than 200,000 college students have a learning disability. There are several factors working against these students including misinformation and not receiving the accommodations and support they need. Continue reading
Every student loves to hear the ring of the last school bell as they all grab their backpacks and sprint out the door, leaving behind all the formulas and equations that they had just learned. Although some students are fortunate enough to attend a summer camp or a summer reading program, most just lay back on the couch and watch TV or play video games with friends. Continue reading
According to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics the percentage of students who speak a language other than English in their home and struggle with speaking English fluently had nearly doubled since the late 1970s. As these populations continue to grow so do concerns about closing the achievement between native English speakers and English Language Learners (ELL). Continue reading
Consider this: a classroom where children don’t receive grades. Shocking, right? Not necessarily. Continue reading
When most children are little they aspire to graduate college, to be the president of the United States, or to be an astronaut. They have certain goals and expectations for their future which they aspire to achieve and which they use as motivation to continue throughout their education. However, research shows that there is a drastic difference between the educational expectations of Latino youth and their white and black counterparts. The disparity in future expectations contributes to the growing achievement gap between students.
Access to basic and quality healthcare is often limited for families from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Throughout the country, many students come to school from unhealthy living environments, unable to learn and perform to their full potential. Educator, Charles Basch, states simply, “If a health problem is the cause of an educational disparity, the health problem must be statistically and temporally associated with the unfavorable educational outcomes” (see here). Linking education and healthcare may be a key in closing the academic achievement gap.
While there are many aspects in schools that need to be changed, school lunches are a hot topic that people have been complaining about for years, deeming the food unhealthy or just unappetizing. For many students, especially in low income areas, this school lunch could be their most substantial meal of the day. Continue reading
School’s out for the summer and for the achievement gap – it’s a major bummer. The video below explains why: Continue reading
Exercise In Education!?!
We all know that physical activity and health are pertinent to good educational performance, but many kids these days are not getting nearly enough physical activity each day. One may ask how exactly is this perpetuating the achievement gap, but dive in and i’ll show you exactly how! Continue reading
Lack of Sleep and Educational Performance
Sleep as we all know it is a very important function for both cognitive development as well as emotional stability. So how is sleep a relevant discussion in the achievement gap you might be asking? Dive in further and I shall explain to you exactly how it plays a crucial role in one’s ability to perform well in school! Continue reading
Considerable research has focused on trying to identify and address essential factors contributing to the persisting United States racial achievement gap. Research demonstrates that these contributing factors exist both within the school and classroom walls, as well as externally in the home environment or during summer months (see here and here ). Many of these factors such as summer learning loss and limited school resources are addressable through policy shifts or better funding distribution. However, several serious contributors are substantially more difficult to recognize and resolve as they are happening in the unconscious, such as teachers implicit racial bias. Continue reading
What is Head Start? How did it start? Why is it important? Continue reading
On February 27th, 2019, the New York Times published an article about a report that was recently released by a non-profit called EdBuild that found that in 2016 non-white school districts (defined as school districts with more than 75% students of color) received a total of $23 billion less in funding than white school districts (define as school districts with more than 75% white students). They note that this breaks down to spending about $2,200 less per student. Continue reading