Problems Involved In Low SES Schools

Self-fulfilling prophecy is described as any expectation, whether it is positive or negative, about a situation or occurrence that influences an individual’s behavior in such a way that it provides reason that the expectation is to be achieved. While I am employed in an educational setting, an educator may possibly give an expectation of a student being disruptive and ill-mannered. I work with behavioral special education students would have a tendency to disrupt class.

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 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as part of his “war on poverty” in hopes of closing the achievement gap between low income schools, which typically house larger percentages of student of color, and their more affluent counterparts. The act has been redefined and reauthorized every five years since its original enactment. However, despite the last 50 years of education reform, the disparity amongst high and low poverty schools is as large as it ever was. In turn, the disparity between students of color and white students has only grown. Clearly, the one size fits all approach to education America has been using does not work. The U.S public education system is broken and, as a country, very

According to Eric A. Hanushek and Steven G. Rivkin, who are the authors of "School Quality and the Black-White Achievement Gap," a research study that is part of the National Bureau of Educational Resources academic journal in conjunction with Harvard University; the basic understanding of the gap is that there is a lack of school policy and student-teacher regimen for the students below average (8). The absence of involvement the teachers have with academically suffering kids’ schooling is harmful and deteriorating to the children’s education. The lack of support that these teachers show to the kids as students can account for the indifferent stance many of the children take towards their education. Also stated in the journal, is that "lower test scores have been proven to be more of the school’s issue and fault than outer influences such as society and home life," (Hanushek/Rivkin 8). The school itself is only one section of the problem, parent's involvement following close behind; followed by the societal circumstances any given child is encompassed in, either positive or negative.

Teachers can’t bring change in the achievement gap by becoming better educators. The teachers are not the only people in the students’ lives that can help the students achieve better grades. The blame for the achievement gap should be shared with the adults in the students’ lives and the community (McKinstry). The youth that are falling behind academically are usually fighting one or more of this barriers: retention in grade level, poor attendance, behavioral problems, low socioeconomic status, low achievement, substance abuse, or teenage pregnancy

Research shows that on average, there is an educational gap between different ethnicities. This gap is called the racial educational achievement gap and is often looked at as the difference in education between black, hispanic, and white students. Even though this gap is not true in all situations, it is a big enough problem that several organizations have taken extensive research to find out exactly what causes the racial achievement gap. Pinpointing the cause however is difficult because many factors contribute to the racial achievement gap. The more outstanding of

In chapter 8 “Educational Inequality”, it is discussed that before the Brown v. Board of Education decision, people of color were systematically prevented from attending white schools under a doctrine called “separate but equal” (Golash-Boza, 2014). Since this 1954 decision, there has been progress to form equality in the schools. For example, there are no longer any all-white universities and colleges are working harder to encourage a diverse college campus, but there is still set-backs from being completely equal. The book “Race & Racisms” states that there is the achievement gap in America’s school systems. The achievement gap is the disparate educational outcomes of whites, Asians, blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans (Golash-Boza, 2014). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010 there was recorded that 29.3% of white people with their bachelor’s degree or higher and only 17.7% of black people with this achievement. Also stated in the surveys was that the average GPA of a white person was 3.09 and the average GPA of a black person was 2.69. There are multiple explanations on where the racism or inequality occurs in society that causes such a difference between the outcomes of black people versus white people, however it comes down to the same conclusion; there is inequality in the school

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.

The achievement gap is often described as the academic discrepancy in the test scores of minority and other low-income students and the test scores in their White and Asian peers. However the gap in scores affect many different groups across many different walks of life in America. Different groups may trail behind their peers at different points in their academic careers. Classic examples are boys in their early years of schooling and girls in high school math and sciences. The differences between students from various backgrounds are more apparent on the large-scale standardized tests. The gaps in test scores more than often lead to longer-term gaps, including high school and college completion and even in the kinds of jobs these

In the literature, the gap is sometimes called an opportunity gap and sometimes it is called an achievement gap. The opportunity gap refers to the undeniable difference that exists between the opportunities for minorities versus their white counterparts. There seem to be several factors that influence this gap. A study by Oakes, Rogers, Silver, Horng, & Goode, (2004), observed that modern day schools in some California cities do not even meet the criteria for the landmark case Plessy vs Ferguson (Oakes et al., 2004). These schools are still segregated and there is an extreme disproportion of funds between the schools that service mainly minorities and those that service mainly whites. The schools that have a white majority usually tend to receive funding from local community members or the parents of the students that attend. While the schools that are made up of minority students, usually tend to be underfunded and the conditions inside the schools are not always the best (Oakes et al., 2004).

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).

“The achievement gap is an aperture of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status, ethnicity and gender” (Valerie, http://www.teachability.com/). The imbalance in test scores is a key factor in closing the gap. Presently minority students score lower than European Americans on grammar, pronunciation, literacy and mathematics test on graded test work and on test that measure scholastic aptitude and intelligence.

Achievement Gaps in the United States are tough to define. Currently academia is focusing on racial and ethnic gaps and might be overlooking a subtle fact. There is a trend in ongoing research that shows many of lowest achieving students hail from a low socioeconomic status. Before addressing the racial gaps in achievement, educators must look towards better understanding the effect that low SES has on students. After knowing how much SES impacts achievement, educators and researchers will be better able to address racial achievement gaps without biased factors manipulating their data. Articles by Rolf K. Blank, a case study performed by the Washington Board of Education, and an article by Victoria Risko and Doris Walker-Dalhouse will explore

The achievement gap is an aperture of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status, ethnicity and gender (Valerie, http://www.teachability.com/). The imbalance in test scores is a key factor in closing the gap. Presently minority students score lower than European Americans on grammar, pronunciation, literacy and mathematics test on graded test work and on test that measure scholastic aptitude and intelligence.

“Achievement Gap.” These are two of the most powerful and controversial words in the educational field today. Professionals use the term achievement gap to refer to the differences in performance, whether it be test scores, attendance, drop-out rates, graduation rates, etc., amongst the various student populations in education. There have been many educational policies and reforms in an attempt to narrow the achievement gap amongst the various ethnic groups namely, “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB), whose goal is the acquisition of English for all students (Spring, 2013). While this may indeed be important, one cannot simply dismiss the cultures represented by the plethora of students enrolled in public schools. Only through teacher education of different cultures and the adoption of other forms of language education can steps be taken to reduce the achievement gap in American Education.