Educational Psychology Class Analysis

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

In the education sector, the achievement gap delineates the observed disparity in school performance among student groups. This gap is manifested in measures such as test scores, grades, college completion and dropout rates, and selection of courses. Within the U.S. context, the achievement gap has often been used to refer to the worrying performance disparities between Latinos and African-Americans on one hand and their non-Hispanic white counterparts on the other. The gap also describes academic differences between students hailing from socioeconomically disadvantaged and those who are better off. Throughout history, Hispanic and African-American students have persistently lagged behind whites in academic matters, triggering heated policy discussions.

An equal and high quality education for all students in the United States is crucial to its economic progression. Access to a proper education leads to the acquirement of jobs and opportunities which overall will support the development of a society. Unfortunately, there is a large disparity between ethnic groups, regarding their ability to equally succeed and obtain the same opportunities as their counterparts. This is otherwise known as the attainment gap, which more specifically, refers to the distinct academic achievement differences between groups of students; often times between minority groups and their White peers. This is

Snowman, Jack (1997) defined educational psychology as a branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences in intelligence, cognitive development, affect, motivation, self-regulation, and self-concept, as well as their role in learning. The field of educational psychology relies heavily on quantitative methods, including testing and measurement, to enhance educational activities related to instructional design, classroom management, and assessment, which serve to facilitate learning processes in various educational settings across the lifespan.

Equity has always been an issue in public education. Educators always end up asking themselves if students are given the same opportunity weather they live in poor or rich school districts. According to the Schott Foundation, “The opportunity gap is the disparity in access to quality schools and the resources needed for all children to be academically successful”. Not only does location affect students, but also student’s cultural background affects the opportunities they are given in the classroom. These funding gaps typically do not give students an equal opportunity in their education.

The Glossary of Education Reform defines the achievement gap as “any significant and persistent disparity in academic performance or educational attainment between different groups of students” (“Achievement Gap Definition”).

Introduction to Social Psychology has been an enlightening course that has greatly deepened my understand of individuals and their interaction with others. It has introduced me to ideas that have always been in front of me, I just hadn’t noticed or learned them. Psychology has taught me many things about human interaction, including the importance babies’ eye contact, how we judge others based on information we know about them, dissonance theory, attribution error, and obedience of authority. All of the aforementioned topics affect the way individuals act with one another. The importance that others have on our development cannot be understated. The topics learned in this class have helped explain many life occurrences I was curious about prior

The job as a teacher is to give the students’ knowledge of that subject, teach the students in an effective way that will stick to them, make learning enjoyable and have the students leave in a remarkable manner. The early stages in a child’s life are crucial to the development as a human being. Although, there are many factors that can affect the student’s outcome, the teacher is one of them and can play a big role. Our school system deserves qualified and effective teachers in the classroom that are for the students. Bad teachers negatively affect students in such a way that it can have a lasting effect that can be difficult or impossible to reverse. We have this opportunity in time to improve our school system and to steer the future of our country in the right way. What are we going to do about

Achievement gap refers to the difference between the educational performances of different groups of students (Hidden Curriculum, 2014). While this is still a common problem in society, many educators are trying to close the gap and get all students on the same page for success. It is important to know not only the types of achievement gaps faced within schools, but also how they can be handled effectively. One common achievement gap is that of upper-class majority students versus lower-class minority students.

One topic I would love to spend a semester learning about is psychology. Recently I took a psychology class at a community college; this is what sparked my interest of the topic. Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior which plays a big role in very many professions along with everyday life. One thing that fascinates me about psychology is the brain, specifically memory and behavior. The brain is a complete control system at work. The human body has multiple systems that all work together to ensure that a person has a long and healthy life. Surprisingly the brain has a lot control over the body that many people don’t understand. When looking at identical twins you might think they are the same person, but they are two completely different

Frank created quite a hook in the introduction of the article, but it was a little misleading. When I first begun to read, I had thought I would be gaining insight on the situational aspects of dealing with student misbehavior, rather, I dove into a word play that could practically be considered common knowledge. Regardless, I can only state such a notion in regards to no one else, but myself. I assume that it may amount to the fact that I have frequently engaged in material oriented around educational ethics in teaching. However, the article did bring forth information that solidified my beliefs in teaching ethics, while using extreme detail in addressing particular student misbehavior issues. It is this very detail that assisted in my ability to form connections to my previous experiences in a classroom, subsequently deeming itself useful in furthering my knowledge about the topic.

The current educational system in America is far from perfect. But, in truth, it has never been perfect. Some problems of the past, such as transportation and segregation, don’t exist today. However, some issues in present education, like family problems, money, and discipline in schools are barriers to a good education today. Educators need to be able to adapt to the needs of society and students. Education has problems, and in response to these problems, the education system has changed, so that students can acquire skills that will allow them to do well in college and get a career.

I was born on July 18, 1921, in Rhode Island. I was the youngest of 5 siblings. I graduated from Brown University in 1942. After that I achieved the magna cum laude and earned the William Gaston Prize for Excellence in Oratory and the Francis Wayland Scholarship. I spent most of my career studying psychoanalysis but my research was different from traditional psychoanalytic methods. My research focused on distorted thoughts that led to problematic behaviors. While I was working at the University of Pennsylvania I wanted to find a way to help my depressed clients better capture their emotions. I theorized that in order to change the symptoms, I must change their distorted thinking. This belief led me to the development of cognitive behavioral

Preparing teachers, principals and superintendents has been the responsibility of schools of education across the United States. Once they have completed their preparation these educators must tackle the challenge of educating America’s youth. Education is still a major factor in the social, psychological, and financial development of one individual; it determines the difference between a life fully lived and a life only dreamed of while opportunity passes by.

For my extra credit assignment I would like to research, and write about the problems in education today. According to chapter eight in the book, worldwide one in five adults can not read or write, two thirds of them being women. The problems we are facing in education can be linked to other social problems such as poverty or unemployment, seeing that those who graduate college make up twenty percent of the unemployment rate, compared to the forty percent of the unemployment rate in people with less than a high school degree. Another issue facing education is the inequality of schools and school districts. School districts with a lower socioeconomic status must spend more money on things like maintaining the school. Thus, leaving less money to spend on bettering the education of the children, which in turn leads to higher rates of drop outs, and lower rates of college attendance. Therefore, leaving them more likely to be unemployed or live in poverty. Finally, another major problem facing the American education system is the lack of financial support. One survey revealed that the most common thing to happen due to budget cuts is to increase the class size, which has been directly correlated with poorer academic achievement. The problems facing education are plentiful, most of which are grounded in financial woes. These effects can be devastating to the lives of the children it affects or society as a whole, due to the statistics correlating