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.
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
This past week, the news broke of the infinitesimally small percentage of black and hispanic students who gained admittance in the upcoming school year to Stuyvesant, New York’s most selective and prestigious of the specialized public high schools. Stuyvesant and seven other schools are a part of a specific system wherein admission is solely determined by an entrance exam known as the SHSAT. Although only 4% of the test takers qualify for entrance to Stuyvesant, of the 895 admissions granted this year, only 7 of those students are black. This blatant disparity illuminates the issue of segregation that continues to plague New York City, and schools across the nation.
The practice of tracking is nearly omnipresent in the American education system as it is today. Tracking is the practice of separating students into different classes based on academic ability. While many schools may report that they do not use tracking, the majority of teachers admit that they group students within classrooms by ability, which is a milder version of tracking. The problem with tracking is that it exacerbates the achievement gap because minority students are disproportionately placed in lower tracks.
When you are hungry, nothing else seems to matter. It is our most basic instinct to eat, and young children cannot be expected to focus or function at a high level without proper nutrition. Low vitamin and nutrient intake has been linked to low performance in school settings. Children who skip breakfast have decreased cognitive performance in alertness, attention, processing complex visual and auditory messages. These children are often from low income homes. Food insecurity for young children is a real problem in schools and when it comes to academics, these students suffer disproportionately in the classroom. The problem lies in both the family life and the school. The school must promote healthy eating habits, that are reinforced and acted upon at home. The problem is not simply establishing healthy habits and education surrounding food. There is clear causal relation between children’s health and socio-economic standing. That being said, socio-economic status is not the only indicator of health for school children. Poor nutritional education from the parents also factors into the equation. Missing meals is bad, but eating unhealthy food is also an indicator for poorer academic performance.
Childhood obesity and food insecurity are also both salient factors when it comes to childhood achievement. One study found food insecure students to be more likely to have low cognitive and social-emotional skills in pre-k and kindergarten. Obese students, were linked to similar trends especially linked to low curiosity, effort, and cognitive skills.
One source talks about the reciprocal relationship between heath, education, and poverty. These three factors are causally linked and interconnect, influencing each-other’s outcome and creating a composite formula that can predict trends for educational achievement. Health, which is taken for granted by the wealthy, and not always available for the poor, seems to be a major indication of achievement through all levels of education. Even prenatal health of the parent is linked to the achievement of children. A study looking at parent obesity and health risks during pregnancy found unhealthier parents to produce lower achieving children. This study found that unhealthy parents had children who exhibited similar symptoms, minor and major birth defects, and deficits in academic skills.
While early intervention education is helpful, and incredibly important in the achievement of students, health is a variable which is oftentimes unaccounted for. The familial health fo both mother and child is the first concern and unfortunately, the least amendable. Pushing for initiatives that incentivize good health for parents, and making healthcare available for pregnant women can control much of the failures in academic achievement we see across the nation.
Parental involvement in education is a very important aspect for creating a safe and cooperative environment for the child to feel comfortable and succeed in. When a student knows that he or she is receiving support both inside and outside the school, the chances of that child becoming responsible for and active in their education are more likely. Continue reading
In recent years, the rise of technology in classrooms has lead to a change in the way teachers interact and teach students. Technology has been praised to help students prepare for the real world early on and place all kids on the same playing field because of the equal access. Continue reading
One effort to close the achievement gap has been the accountability movement. This reform heavily prioritizes testing performance and essentially uses scores as the sole indicator of a schools apparent success or failure.
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One major contributing factor, well understood amongst scholars, of the achievement gap is the socioeconomic disparities across student populations. The ways in which socioeconomic disparities are manifested and how different experiences of poverty affect students differently is a topic that deserve more scholarly attention. Proper nutrition is oftentimes discussed more when it comes to its relation to academic success, as studies have shown that adequate nutrition and consumption of specific nutrients and foods is associated with higher grades, among other facets of higher academic performance among students (CDC Health and Academic Achievement Report). However, one factor that should also be included in this discourse is the effect that homelessness has on academic achievement – especially because homelessness among students is rising. Homeless children and youth are defined as such by meeting a number of criteria. Namely, they do not have access to a fixed nighttime residence due to economic factors or situations of loss or abandonment. Because of this many of the youth who are defined as homeless sleep in friends houses, hotels and motels, trailer parks and campgrounds, cars and other public places. Continue reading
Tracking is a divisive practice within the world of education, with policy makers on both sides either heralding it as a practice that benefits everyone on all tracks by providing and individualized approach to teaching, and others saying it only benefits those in the higher tracks by providing these high tracks with the best quality of teachers, creating large gaps of knowledge. When lower and higher tracks drift farther apart from each other, this causes the achievement gap to increase between white students and black students. Continue reading
Extensive research shows the continued presence of the achievement gap in the United States, drawing links predominantly between the quality of schools and children’s poorer academic performance (see here and here). However, a growing body of research suggests several health factors are being neglected consistently, while disproportionately negatively impacting school-aged children, especially low-income, urban minority youth (see here). Continue reading
Everyone knows that mothers know best. What many people don’t know is that how much a mother knows can significantly affect a child’s educational achievement.
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, “A federal court recently dismissed a suit that challenged a new D.C. regulation that requires lead teachers in District child development centers to earn associate degrees and boosts education credentials for other teachers and caregivers.” The regulations were issued in 2016 and the new standards must be met by December 2019 Continue reading
Countless studies have shown the immense impacts, both short-term and long-term, that a preschool education has on children. The question is, though, why aren’t more children enrolled in preschool, and what is stopping us from achieving universal preschool? Continue reading
On March 8, 2019, The New York Times reported that “A federal judge has ruled Education Secretary Betsy DeVos illegally delayed an Obama-era rule that required states to address racial disparities in special education.” This rule was made at the very end of Obama’s presidency and required that each state must report a “risk ratio” that displayed how large the racial disparity in “special education services, …restrictive classrooms [and] discipline” is in the state.
Often student achievement is measured by performance on standardized tests. However, these tests, based on a narrowly prescribed curriculum and linked to specific grade levels, disregard diversity and are an unjustified way to judge student or teacher success. Students are unfairly expected to perform at a set of standards that are developed by an outside agency.
Literacy is one of the upmost important components at the start of your education. Therefore, the research about the 30-million-word gap between those of high socioeconomic status (high SES) compared to those of low socioeconomic status (low SES) continues to concern education researchers. Continue reading
U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke this past weekend at an education town hall about the specialized high schools in New York City. Instead of speaking to the proposal to get rid of admission exams for these elite schools, she questioned why all schools weren’t achieving similar reputations. What is the current discussion around the lack of diversity at specialized high schools?
Many people say having a well qualified and well educated teacher is the basis for good learning. However this is not the only thing that determines a teacher being able to successfully teach students, and for students to best learn from teachers. Continue reading
While racial achievement gaps are in decline, income-based gaps remain the same or widen. Over the past fifteen years national studies show that hispanic-white, and black-white achievements have been in steady decline since 2003. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), recorded drops between 13-25% measuring fourth and eight graders over the last 15 years. While the decrease in racial disparities are encouraging, these studies also reveal troubling information about the importance of income as it pertains to achievement.
Much of the discourse surrounding the black/white achievement gap in public education is concerned with the forces that cause such disparities in academic achievement between racial groups. Major topics of discussion and research include school funding, teacher quality, curriculum rigor, family’s socioeconomic status, summer activities and extracurricular opportunities. Scholars, specifically sociologists Edward Morris and Brea Perry, have identified a key factor in the achievement gap equation that often gets neglected, which is the way in which schools carry out disciplinary actions. Continue reading
Whether one follows the news religiously or just occasionally indulges in a 5-minute binge-watch of CNN or Fox News, it’s no doubt that the decisions and proposals made by the Trump Administration consistently stir up talk – both positive and negative. In news that pertains to the Education Department, just a few days ago, the Trump Administration proposed a $7.1 billion funding cut to the Education Department, with a proposal that suggests eliminating 29 programs (ABC News, 2019). Continue reading
Abstract: Here we will explore the aspects of project-based learning, PBL, compared to traditional lecture-based courses to see how effective PBL is at retaining short and long term knowledge on a course.
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Overview
While many members of older generations brush it off, claiming that depression and anxiety aren’t real problems like broken bones and open wounds, mental health is effecting the academic achievement of students across the country, and is a problem that needs to be examined. Continue reading
If a child isn’t performing well in school, whose fault is it? The child’s? The school’s? The parent’s?
This is one of the questions those that study the achievement gap have been facing. Unfortunately, it is usually a mix of all those listed factors, among others. This begs the question: whose problem is the achievement gap to solve? Continue reading
For many children, having a TV in their bedroom would be a dream come true. A TV of their own that they could watch whenever and whatever they wanted. Continue reading
It is well known that the achievement gap exists, particularly among young children’s reading skills. Summer reading loss occurs when students return to school after summer vacation at a lower reading level than when they left for break. Continue reading
Research shows that “environmental exposures may contribute to the etiology of the achievement gap”. Connections have been found between childhood lead exposure and increased cognitive disadvantages, such as decreased performance on standardized intelligence quotient (IQ) tests and cognitive functioning tests, worse end-of-grade (EOG) test scores, and increased neurobehavioural, behavioural, and attention deficits (see here). Continue reading
Tracking, also referred to as ability grouping, has become a widespread practice in the United States. From as early as kindergarten, students are frequently placed into small groups determined by their apparent “skill level.” This grouping continues throughout a student’s schooling, and is a major contributor to the pervasive achievement gap. Continue reading
It has long been known that black students, especially male students, have been negatively targeted for suspensions and discipline as a result of teachers’ implicit biases. Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Continue reading
Think back to high school. Did a teacher ever tell you that you weren’t strong enough academically to attend a 4-year college? Did your teachers care if you did well? Did they expect you to excel? Continue reading
Salopia, Massachusetts recently voted to rebuild Bradley Early Childhood Center, which currently houses the half-day kindergarten and some of the first grade classrooms for the town. Bradley’s building needs major repair and the town’s school age population is growing, so Bradley is moving to a new location that will allow for a bigger school. Continue reading
There are many changes that need to be made to help close the achievement gap, but what is the most important? Some will argue that the problem is teacher quality, parent involvement or the reading skills that students from low income families lose when they leave school for summer vacation. Although those problems may be true, universal preschool learning is the biggest adjustment that needs to be made to help close this gap. Continue reading
It is a well-established fact that teacher quality is the biggest school-level factor related to the success or failure of students and thus, the achievement gap between students. A 2006 study in Los Angeles, CA found that when students were taught by the top 25% of the most effective teachers, the students advanced approximately five percentile points each year compared with their peers. Those taught by teachers in the bottom quartile of effectiveness, lose, on average, five percentile points, compared with their peers. However, having access to quality teachers would not be possible without a skilled and dedicated principal. Continue reading
In 2016, EdBuild, a non-partisan organization dedicated to education reform, found that predominantly non-white school districts received $23 billion less in funding than predominantly white school districts. Why do this inequalities persist? What solutions are being explored?
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The achievement gap as we know it starts off from a very young age. The gap then continues to increase due to the lack of outside of the school resources, as well as support systems. One prominent aid to the achievement gap is the loss of learning, or the halt of learning over the long summer break, also called summer learning loss. Continue reading
According to Niche.com, a ranking and reviews site, the Acton-Boxborough school district is the 15th best school district in Massachusetts. The towns of Acton and Boxborough are beautifully historical towns located about 25 miles northwest of Boston. Continue reading
Lake Region School District is located in rural Maine and is well-known for consistently producing underachieving students. In 2010, the state publicized and circulated this information throughout local media outlets labeling Lake Region High School (LRHS) as “one of the 10 persistently lowest-performing schools in the state.” Continue reading
Georgia has the nation’s third largest rural school population, but these rural schools are often underfunded, understaffed, and under-performing. Many rural schools are taking great strides to improve their outcomes, but are these improvements equal across disadvantaged groups?
Long Island is 118 miles long and 23 miles wide. It is home to 127 districts, some of which rank at the top in both New York and in the country. The districts that are not at the top, however, seem to be at the very bottom. The report Long Island Education: Costs and Outcomes has revealed that the difference between schools in wealthier areas has been growing tremendously. Continue reading
Initial Findings
After comparing the ELA MCAS scores in 2018 between 7th graders from my local elementary school (Milford) to the state of Massachusetts, I have determined that the local public elementary school as a whole is performing just as well if not better than the state of Massachusetts. Continue reading
Observations
After observing the ELA test scores from 2018 between 3rd graders from my (Justin) local public school and the state of Massachusetts, we have come to the conclusion that the local elementary school, overall, is performing better than the state as a whole. Both groups of students that we observed, economically advantaged and economically disadvantaged, that attended the Page School performed better than their counterparts on the state level.
Since the release of the Coleman Report in the 1970s, the achievement gap in the United States has been a central topic of discussion. Education policymakers and people in the education sphere have been examining the primary causes for the disparities among certain students, as well as the most effective solutions to resolve these vast inequities. The following post will take a closer look at Alma Del Mar Charter School in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It will look at the culture-changing charter school model and the active efforts made within Alma Del Mar to address inequities, as well as analyze test score data from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Continue reading
Growing up in San Francisco I did not attend public school, but I was always aware of the constant battle to diminish the achievement gap through the newspaper articles, news reports, and hearing about it from my teachers. The achievement gap between black and white students in the city of San Francisco is among the worst in the US because students of color are constantly undereducated, not something people would expect from a city that is extremely progressive and liberal.
In Greenville, South Carolina there is an incredibly large achievement gap between students who are disabled and those who are not disabled when looking at 8th-grade math scores. By analyzing data from SCPASS one can see the extent of this achievement gap. Continue reading
Manhasset, New York is a small, utopia-like town on the North Shore of Long Island. Known as being a part of “East Egg” from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Manhasset is an upper-middle to upper-class neighborhood with affluence and abundant resources. Not surprisingly, its public school district, the Manhasset Union Free School District (MUFSD) is among not only some of the best public schools in the state, but also in the country. Continue reading
It is no mystery that achievement gaps exist in New York City public school, as they do across the nation. However, New York faces a unique challenge with students who are both low-income and students of color. Compared to their white and asian peers, poor black and hispanic students face a significant challenge in their particularly isolated schools. Due to the prevalence of specialized public high schools in NYC, (many of which are comparable to the top prep-schools in the nation) poor districts of homogenous demographics of black and latino students underperform at an even more significant rate.
While the cleavages widen on isolated schools, another problem arises when a mixed demographic learns under one roof. Even when attending “high achieving schools” with a significant wealthy and white population, poor students of color still underachieve. This issues highlights the difference between integration and diversity. While these schools seem to be diverse on face value, the lack of integration of poor students of color into the high achieving programs is apparent. This disparity gives credence to the importance of non-academic variables that factor into achievement gaps across demographics. Studies like these isolate the variables that are often obfuscated with a simple testing of achievement across schools with varying demographics.
Racial and Economic Disparity in Achievement (NYC)
The shrinking of the achievement gap in Success Academy Cobble Hill and other gifted and talented schools in NYC are a good indication of how to address the problem in public schools. These schools are committed to testing all students into their accelerated programs with an emphasis on integration in the classroom. They are dedicated to reflecting their school demographics in their high achieving classes. Compared to the rest of NYC, these schools that emphasize integration have an average 3.9 score for students of color compared to the 2.7 across the rest of NYC. The students of color at these unique schools score higher than most white and asian students across the board.
While the achievement gap widens as time passes, integrating accelerated classes early in education allows black and hispanic students to rise to their potential rather than fall behind in high school. However, the engagement of the teachers and local community cannot be understated in this analysis. To qualify the success of the outliers, we must first understand the systemic underpinnings to these statistics. The Coleman Report first began to understand the importance of integrated schools and these schools that succeed in shrinking the achievement gap follow that same logic from 1966.
“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn” – Ignacio Estrada.
This sentiment is often discussed in regard to the education of students with disabilities, however, talk is often just that – talk and no action. Continue reading
Salopia, Massachusetts is a suburban town that is known as a great place for families to live because of the reputation of the public schools. But do the Salopia Public Schools equitably prepare its students for success and is the MCAS an accurate representation of the achievement gap? Continue reading
The Lower Merion School District is a public school district located outside of Philadelphia for grades K-12. LMSD is a fairly affluent, primarily white, and extremely well funded school district. Continue reading
According to Boston Magazine, Winchester Public Schools are the 14th-ranked best public school system in Massachusetts. With an average student-teacher ratio of 13:1, a $12,801 budget for per-pupil spending, and a 96.9% graduation rate, one would think that Winchester is the perfect place to send your children. However, the success of Winchester Public Schools is not all that accurate or simple.
The achievement gap is a widespread problem in the United States, and it can be witnessed in schools across the nation. I will be exploring the achievement gap in my own school district. I grew up in Falmouth, Maine, and I attended the public school system in Falmouth and I will be exploring the extent of the achievement gap at Falmouth. Continue reading