Deanna Sena
Bold Education Gaps In Our Society The education gaps serve as the bare life expectations that predict the severe issues for our society as a whole. In the United States we all share a nationwide vision that each person should have equal opportunity for growth and success living in the U.S. Pursuing this vision for each person is first found by each student starting off fair and equally. Now days in our society we hope and predict most students to graduate high school and already be prepared to enter college and or start a career. In order to start a career after high school and attend college you need to depend on a strong standing foundation including great skills with communication, hard work, science, math, reading and literature, problem solving ideas and much more. Sadly, the many students that get a lack of a good start from early on as children find it very difficult to reach and secure these known goals. The most important foundation we know starts back at the very beginning from birth and continues throughout every developmental stage. The students that start trailing behind at the start of school will most likely see obstacles and disadvantages early on that will be seen continually throughout school and also probably their developed lives. If we want to know how to contribute to making these education gaps smaller, we first need to understand what is supplying their delay, which children are encountering a delay, and truly how far their delay is
When relating poverty to the achievement gap, one can see the correlation. The achievement gap is the discrepancy in academic performance between groups of students, it is more often used to describe the troubling performance gaps between African-American and Hispanic students at the lower end of the performance scale. Many students who are living in poverty fall within these backgrounds and it is understandable why their grades and school performances are suffering. Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchy needs show that before a child is able to learn or perform any kind of activity, the basic needs must be met, food, shelter, and water (Shaffer, 2014, pp 158).
Throughout decades, education inequality is still one of the most deliberate and controversial issues in the United States. Thus far, the privilege or right to receive education has not attained the level of equality throughout the nation. Poor districts obtain less educational funds while rich districts obtain more, which create an immense gap between the quality of schools in poor and rich areas. In other words, the education gap is the root of inequality in America. Inequality in education is linked to the major problems in the society. The need for studies to be done to find ways of overcoming these inequalities is very inevitable. The means of mitigating these inequalities are important for the entire world. This is something of great interest due to the fact that children need quality education which is a pillar for a guaranteed future. Generally speaking, the distinctions among races, genders, and classes in the society have caused the educational inequality in America.
Before addressing the issue of education, we need to understand how the education system works. Children usually start Elementary school at the age of six. After completing five grade levels, students move on to middle school or Junior high, and they complete this stage of schooling in three years. Then, they move on to high school, which will prepare them for college. Students take two tests in high school, a standardized test that they will have to pass in order to graduate and ACT/SAT, which is a college preparation test. Students receive grades according to how well they perform on exams, and those grades determine their GPA (grade
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
How should society handle the perceived differences between races when it comes to education? The goal of both researchers is to narrow the academic gap between white and black students. Both authors attribute the gap between the academic scores of black and white students from opposite sides of racial identity. As Dr. Beverly Daniels Tatum, President of Spelman College and clinical psychologist has written an article entitled “Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” Her approach is from the perspective of the student and how they perceive their role and upper limits while maintaining their place in their peer group's expectations of their race. Dr. Diane Ravitch, a research professor of education at New York University, has written an article entitled "The Facts about the Achievement Gap.” Her approach is from the perspective of how schools and society implicitly or explicitly cast students into achievement tracks based on their race. Both approach the same idea about racial identity, but they have different solutions, such as peer groups, the school board, and who is right about the solution.
In debates about public education, what is the “achievement gap?” What policies have been implemented to address this
Currently, education has been a system of miss-education. I believe that children are pushed out of high
Deficiency in academic preparation occurs because of poor plans to attend college and an absence of earlier experience of how the college environment works. The students from impoverished backgrounds did not go to high level schools, so they do not have the college knowledge which is needed to succeed in college and the future. In the article “New Student Majority in South and West: Poor Children” by Sarah D. Sparks, the author shares that mostly in the south and southwest states students live under poverty. Students’ academic careers are at a high risk because it is difficult to deal with their problems. More than 50 % of the students live in poverty which is a pretty high rate, there seems to be no place to get away from it. The biggest barrier for students in poverty is after graduating from high school and deciding to move on to college. Most of the students from low socio-economic backgrounds always have a gap year after completing high school. They are not ready for college due to the deficiency in language and quality of education.
“The socioeconomic achievement gap in education refers to the inequality in academic achievement between groups of students. The achievement gap shows up in grades, standardized test scores, course selection, dropout rates, and college-completion rates, among other success measures” (Ansell, 2017). Typically, when discussing the achievement gap, educators are comparing the academic progress of African-American students or Hispanic students to the progress of white students. More-often-than-not the white students will have more educational achievements than their non-white colleagues (Ansell, 2017). The most widely accepted theory as to why students with higher socioeconomic status (SES) do better academically is high parental involvement, access to economic resources and access to highly qualified teachers (Huang, 2015. Pg.6). Students of low socioeconomic status often live in poverty. This means that the student may not have sufficient school supplies or even someone at home to help him with his homework. There are numerous children in the United States’ school systems that are failing due to the achievement gap. These students are at a disadvantage because the school systems and teachers do not notice or even care about their home life and how it comes into play in their education. It is important for our nation to not only understand the achievement gap but take steps toward correcting it.
Not only are impoverished children suffering from a late start in education, it is known that the neediest schools are the schools who's students are below the poverty line. The students with the greatest needs receive the least funding and resources. In New York the average poor student will receive about $1,000 year in resources at public school; whereas the school's with the least amount of poor children receive around $3,000 per student in public schools. Not necessarily the same number wise but this is the case in at least 37 of our 50 states (Schemo). Inadequate education for impoverished children only worsens their chances of making it out of poverty.
From an early age, individuals in America have tried to do everything in their power to reduce the inequalities of gender and race; however, the inequalities of education have proven to affect the future of the country the most. Education is a fundamental human right that is indispensable to both the well-being of an individual and society. To many people, it is considered a great equalizer in America, improving the lives and opportunities for children from a young age. Nevertheless, the great equalizer is constantly threatened, affecting the developments of these opportunities. The unequal distribution of wealth affects students of all ages in the education system. In order to reduce education inequality, the funds allocated to the low-income neighborhoods in a state should to be increased not only to decrease the gap between rich and poor and decrease the amount of poorly paid teachers, but also to provide schools with enough resources to ensure success.
Amongst many social justice issues, educational inequity continues to dramatically affect the nation's youth in the long term. However, for some students the ability to access a quality primary education provided by public schools depends on the students socioeconomic bearing. The insufficient availability of essential resources, opportunities, and funding creates a hurdle to access a higher quality education. This reiterates that a higher education creates a step forward in the education system to close the achievement gap.
To be clear, income and wealth inequality are not the only reasons for this achievement gap that continues to persist. Access to childcare, preschool programs, proper nutrition also play a roll, as do physical and
The achievement gap is a serious issue that is happening in schools everywhere and it affects so many students. It can affect students in many different ways, there is no one perspective on what causes the gap. The achievement gap affects minorities more than those who are not minorities.
What is it that’s making our country suffer from excelling in education? Very few would argue about the importance of our education system today. Issues such as lazy teachers, lack of parent involvement, and teaching useless information in class may hinder progress in today’s education system. An education plays a crucial role and is an essential tool, unfortunately, with all the jaded judgments; our students are not able to value their education. A proper education can open the doors to many opportunities that would have never been possible if it had not been for the knowledge and preparation that one received while in school. With the growing economy and desperate times, it is more important than ever for our country’s children to receive the proper education and training that is needed to allow them to acquire a good job and produce the revenue needed to live. Today's education system is flawed in many ways, and these flaws should be eliminated to ensure a good education for our future generation.