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
Tag: Achievement Gap
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).
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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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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
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.
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
“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
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