Close the Gap
Closing the achievement gap is not an easy task. However, education leaders have a moral obligation to create a system of student supports and a belief system in which all students achieve beyond the standards. A superintendent's belief system and passion need to extend outward. As you move your institution toward the goal of everyone passionately believing, as a district leader, you only hire teachers, administrators, secretaries, bus drivers, custodians and all staff members who believe this as deeply as you do. By doing this, you begin to change the culture of your institution be it a school or an entire district. As you begin a concerted effort to change the culture of your district and tackle the achievement gap
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When implemented properly, AR can change an entire district as it did for Berlin Township. When I originally implemented AR in our middle school and eventually the elementary school, I met with resistance from the teachers. The program eventually flourished and spread across the district but not until teachers and students experienced success. Once the first classroom achieved Model Classroom status, the spark ignited across the district. After that first success story, nearly every classroom followed. The middle school was later named a Renaissance Model School and many of our teachers and their students met the criteria for Model and Master Classroom status. Students needed to read at or above an 85% accuracy rate for books to count in the system. Our children read nearly 23,000 at this level of achievement last year alone. The following year we surpassed 30,000 books read at 85% accuracy or higher. For our 500 plus students, that was extremely impressive. Notwithstanding, if we did not have that first class meet with excellence, the district would never have made those achievements and the program would have undoubtedly faded away. Regardless of what programs you implement, challenge all students, work toward true understanding, individualize instruction, establish safety nets and, above all else, respect the power of meaningful and consistent professional development.
Closing the achievement gap is
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
Our VA is a great place to work overall. I feel most people work there because they love working with and caring for Veterans. It is our duty to promote well-being and happiness so we can recruit and retain the brightest and most talented people. The VA has a good retirement program and benefits package and it is what initially entices non-physician applicants at first. The application process is a bit complicated and our HR does not do well in the communication part of the process. Once employees are hired on, which can take several months, they are usually pretty happy. Physicians and nurses are boarded, there is a very detailed algorithm used to determine their grade and step, which ultimately calculates their fair
For this experience, I chose to visit an elementary school and its feeder middle school. I chose this because students leave this elementary school with a high rate of student achievement, yet in middle school the scores plummet. I wanted to investigate how this gap could be minimized. Comparing philosophies, expectations and leadership styles for schools within the same community was also a goal.
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.
The Achievement Gap in America has separated and divided America's youth into more or less, two different cultures of socioeconomic placement. The first being the predominantly Caucasian students at American elementary schools, high schools, and colleges that excel greatly in their education. Most of the time earning them middle to upper class jobs in the economy, the aforementioned group contrasts significantly with its opposite culture of American youth. The second culture, the population that is mostly made up of the minority races, takes it's place in the American education system as the population of students who are less interested in getting a decent education and taking
Additionally, I empower and engage community members, stakeholders and parents through authentic transparency, integrity, empowerment and effective communication. I am accountable for insuring that instruction is personalized and that students are engaged in learning. I analyze reliable performance indicators and testing procedures to measure performance outcomes through integration of resources for multicultural sensitivity. I am mindful that my verbalized attitudes and feelings are vital to effective relationship-building with all stakeholders in the educational environment. The benefit that I will receive as a doctoral student in the HGSE program is fundamental for understanding how to become skilled at navigating around bureaucracy, red tape, and hierarchies in order to advocate for kids while keeping in mind policy, ethics, and legal parameters. My leadership experiences has transformed my view of relationship building and increased my understanding of how crucial effective communication is to successful instructional
Achievement gaps between Latino students and their wealthier peers are still happening today. Poverty is one of the reasons why the achievement gap still remains today. Students that come from a low income family tend to do worse than their wealthier peers. The problem starts way before they start school. One particular study says that “by the time these students start school they have heard 30 million fewer words than their white peers.” Low income students tend to do worse in school because their parents do not have the resources such as books to help them be more successful.
There is a persistent achievement gap that has continually taken place within the educational system that needs to be secured. The National Center For Educational Statistics indicates, “gaps appear when one group of students out performs another group and there is a statistical difference in scores” (NEA, 2014). There is statistical evidence exhibiting gaps in performance between white students and their black and Hispanic counterparts in math and reading. Efforts to reach equivalence should start at home during early childhood and continue throughout the high school years (NCES, 2011).
Every day teachers overcome obstacles in the classroom, problem-solve on the go, address failures and challenges, work to create better ways to engage students, and improve methods of educating. Yet, so many of these moments, these everyday victories and triumphs go unnoticed. Teachers are constantly working to support their students and create more accessible and diverse opportunities. In our small district, many of these new ideas and efforts are personally and individually spearheaded by the teachers themselves, who lead, implement, and follow through to make their vision a reality. Thankfully community partners, parents, businesses and individuals readily and graciously offer support and resources to support teachers and students.
Thirty years ago, the United States was the leader in education. We lead in not only quality of an education but quantity of how many people obtain a high standard education. Since then we dissapointly stand 36th position in the world today .Clearly times have change our endcaution system is not standing up to the high standard that we use to hold. As this country strives to be the best in the we need to find a way to be back on top with education of America’s youth. Starting with the solving the problem of the achievement gap.
America’s workforce is below average. Well, it does sound like a crazy statement, but America’s job market is more gilded than we thought. With over 5.6 million job openings reported by both the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CNN.com, job growth has no signs of stopping. This is due to the persistent component that hasn’t been addressed, which, you guessed it, is our unskilled workers. Also known as the skills gap issue, many employers find it difficult to obtain enough workers who are qualified for their vacancies which results in a loss of potential profits.
The future generations in America will most likely not be better than the current generation and our predecessors if we do not act now. Every year, the high school dropout rate increases and standardized test scores decrease also. Furthermore, the nation’s Common Core Standards have not been changed for about a decade. Students will become more passive than active every year if this does not stop. Also America will soon not be able to solve future challenges caused by the world or other nations. The nation’s education should be more advance than before, to ensure that America will always be great.
School improvement is transformation. It is one of the most important actions of a school. It is a process that schools must use with fidelity to ensure that at all students are given the opportunity to perform and achieve at exemplary levels. School improvement is vital to schools and it is a process that cannot be done in isolation. It requires team work, collaboration, and constant analysis of data and setting of goals. School improvement goals focus on how to meet the needs of students. Addressing the educational needs, funding, and achievement gaps between subgroups is collaborative effort involves everyone that has a vested interest in the schools. These basic measures set the foundation for improvement. And so, if it is the
Gap Inc. “is a leading global retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women and children under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Intermix brands.” (Gap Inc.) I chose Gap Inc. because I frequently shop at their brand name stores like Old Navy. Gap Inc. has over 3,300 stores operated worldwide in more than 90 countries. Gap Inc. also support many not-for-profit cause and every year a link is sent to the customers after one of their shopping experience to vote for a cause. “Financial statements prepared by a company must not be false or misleading in any material respect, or incomplete in any material particular. If false or misleading information is given, the sanction is severe.” (Walter, 2011)
The Gap Inc 1. Case Summary The Gap, Inc is a chain of retail stores that sell casual apparel, shoes, and accessories for men, woman and children. Headquarter in San Francisco; the stores operate under a variety of names including: Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy Clothing Company, Gap Kids, and baby Gap. All merchandise sold by chain is private label.