Improving Student Achievement

In this book, not only do they assess the extent to which poor and non-white students attend “worse” schools than their non-poor and white counterparts, but also are these inequalities widened or narrowed. Thus, President Bush has promoted his “No Child Left Behind” education reform legislation as a crusade against low quality schools, We don't want schools languishing in mediocrity and excuse-making. We want the best for every child. That starts with making sure that every child gets a good education. But just how unequal is

Year-End Progress Update - Describe the final results of your action plan and how successful you were in meeting your goal and impacting student achievement.

According to research, black student achievement has greatly improved since the desegregation of schools (Strauss, 2014). With the help of proper school supplies and conducive learning environments, students of all races have been able to achieve higher academic goals. The results of this court case extend beyond black students; Brown v. Board of Education opened the door for educational equality for a great deal of other students.

Historically, African-American, Latino and Native American students were educated in wholly segregated schools whose funding rates were several times lower than schools made up of all white students. These minority students were also being excluded from many higher institutions (Darling-Hammond). This happened until legal segregation came to an end in the 1960s and many efforts were made to equalize school funding. These efforts have made a substantial difference for student achievement and significantly narrowed minority and white

That race continues to matter in public school classrooms has become abundantly clear particularly in education as in schools across the United States the student population has become more and more diverse (Bergeron, 2008). At the same time the opportunity gap between White and Latino and Black students remains quite wide. According to Lubenski (2002), the achievement gaps occur when one group of students is grouped by race/ethnicity or gender outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is significant. While some gaps have begun to close, the opportunity gap between White and Black academic performance has continued to widen (Bohrnstedt, Kitmitto, Ogut, Sherman, & Chan, 2015). Glazer (2007) asserted that, “the most urgent issue in American education for the last half century has been the failure of large numbers of Black students to complete their education and reach an average level of competence” (p.81).

There are several primary educational disparities that arise when race and income are considered. These gaps are due to the notion that the majority of minorities live in low-income areas that have underfunded public schools. Schools in impoverished areas tend to have fewer educational resources such as supplies, funding, amenities, and college preparatory classes. However, “students living in poverty require more intensive resources..., and many schools in poor neighborhoods lack the...resources to break the nexus between student background characteristics and student achievement” (Nielsen, 2013). Since race has already been found to be a significant factor in college readiness, poor racial minorities face a more complex disadvantage than their higher income or white counterparts. Concentrated poverty further prevents minorities from rising in economic status. With such a large population of minority children attending underfunded schools, they are learning in environment that hinders their ability to complete higher education.

Racial preferences in university admissions compensates for our history of institutionalized discrimination and extends educational opportunities to those who conventionally could not access them. From Jim Crow laws to Brown V. Board of Education, the United States has had a history of disenfranchising minorities (Jenco). Historical discrimination, especially against people of color, has created social imbalances and inequalities. The consequences of that history are clearly seen with the presence of achievement and wealth gaps. Between whites and blacks the wealth gap is a whopping 10:1 and between whites and Latinos, the gap is more than 8:1. (Wise). African American students were the lowest-scoring racial subgroup on standardized tests and on average only about 29.6% of black students met or exceeded state standards in math at Waubonsie (Jenco). Gaps in education and wealth are due to many factors including parents unable to help their kids with schoolwork, low expectations, and lack of role models (Jenco). Educators have been hesitant to enact reform to

The education urban minority students and suburban white students receive is by no measurement equal. According to the National Assessment of Educational Process, “white students had average scores at least 26 points higher than black students in both math and reading.” On the prose literacy scale, black adults are 2.8 times more likely than white adults to demonstrate the lowest level of reading proficiency. Also, black student drop-out rates continue to remain higher than white students. Statistics from 2001 state that “on-time graduation rates for black (50%) students were well below those of white (75%) students.” This statistical evidence is significant because it showcases how the achievement gap continues to be a serious problem.

Poor African American communities enjoy less public educational support in relation to White Americans. According to “2011-12 school year data from the US Department of Education”, about six percent of white students attend a high-poverty school, but the figure amounts to 40% for blacks (Jordan, "Millions of Black Students”). Reflecting this inequality in resources, “a report called ‘Unequal Education’ by the Center for American Progress” informs that schools wherein minority students comprise 90 percent or more of its student bodies “spend $733 less per student” than schools with “90 percent white students enrolled” (Shaw,"Public Schools Spend Less”). As an effort to address this problem, the Title I Programme grants extra funds for underfinanced

All students deserve to attend schools where they are respected for their unique identities and these identities augment their educational experience, rather than subtracting from it. Yet, research points to a disparity between the academic and social achievement of students from marginalized groups and students from groups with sociocultural power – this disparity is commonly referred to as the achievement gap (Baskin, 2013). As our classrooms, communities, and nation grow more diverse, schools will be challenged to grow alongside this diversity, eliminate the achievement gap, and become more equitable places for all (Howard, 2007). For the purposes of this review, it is important to highlight the difference between equity and equality. Where equality primarily requires that all students are treated the same, equity calls us to intentionally offer more support to students who are of the highest need (Larson & Barton, 2013).

Now that we have covered the path that led us here, we must see how our battered past still has a lasting impression on students of the 21st century. First, and foremost, schools that have a majority-minority student population usually have fewer and/or less quality resources than those that are mostly populated by white students (Hammond). This ties in with the fact that these schools operate in the inner cities, which is inhabited by low-income, minority families who have decreased property taxes that aren’t funneled into their schools, further expanding the funding gap between school districts (Hammond). Accordingly, these urban

Looking at the school’s growth gaps, OSE is atypical. Students that are free and reduced lunch eligible and minority students are outperforming the students identified as G&T in academic growth in math measures. This growth gap is inverse. In English and Language Arts, minorities are outperforming the average yearly growth of the majority of the student body, and students eligible for free and reduced lunch are maintaining adequate yearly growth. OSE needs to continue to work to grow students in these categories, as well as help students who don’t identify as a minority or eligible for free and reduced lunch obtain adequate yearly growth.

The purpose of decision making is to improve the overall educational performance of all learners in any school. In order to make decisions, a leader must, whether it is a teacher or administrator, make effective decisions that promote successful performance of everyone involved. With the intention of successful performance, society continues to mandate schools deliver a high quality, multi-disciplinary education to all students, while seeking a guarantee that promises successful learning and adulthood employment for each of our children. To complicate this matter, schools are searching for ways to effectively meet the needs of all children. This is the case with John F. Kennedy School.

It has been a long-time goal to increase the educational opportunities for children coming from type of household. There have been multiple attempts to implement effective practice policies in schools, these policies are essentially programs that the government will fund due to research that shows they will be successful in creating results (Pogrow, 2016). The end goal being to increase the academic achievement rates for students in general, but specifically students from low income households. It is the unfortunate reality that students from low income families do not have access to the same number of resources as middle or upper-class students. Low income families do not tend to live near high performing schools. If a majority of students in a particular school are of lower income, their attendance rates are more likely to be

Over the years, research has found inequalities in student achievement based on numerous factors related to social and economic disparities. In order to close the achievement gap and reduce student dropout rates, school counselors must develop strategies that aim at increasing student academic success while also focusing on student’s well-being. “Specifically, they must demonstrate a variety of skills and knowledge, including how to analyze and disaggregate local achievement data, where to find information about effective academic interventions, and how to determine the effectiveness of interventions applied in their schools to enhance academic success for all students and to narrow the achievement gap.” (Ware, 2006) School counselors must have a plan for increasing graduation rates and should be capable of demonstrating the needs of students based on data driven research. Consider, students living in low-income communities where State achievement test scores reveal that the majority of the students scored below national standards. School counselors must identify barriers that prevent students from graduating and becoming productive members of society.