The Effects Of The Education Gap In Education

Many education writers have much to say about the education-taking place in our public schools, as well as Kozol. For Instance Diane Ravitch a research professor of education at New York University spoke about an interesting truth, saying, “The achievement gaps are rooted in social, political, and economic structures. If we are unwilling to change the root cause, we are unlikely ever to close the gaps.” The success of our children’s education is mainly caused by economic, social and political statue. If one does not end the cycle the gap will most likely never close. This may tie in with when Kozol cites Marina Warner, an essayist and novelist, saying, “There are expensive children and there

The United States is a country based on equal opportunity; every citizen is to be given the same chance as another to succeed. This includes the government providing the opportunity of equal education to all children. All children are provided schools to attend. However, the quality of one school compared to another is undoubtedly unfair. Former teacher John Kozol, when being transferred to a new school, said, "The shock from going from one of the poorest schools to one of the wealthiest cannot be overstated (Kozol 2)." The education gap between higher and lower-income schools is obvious: therefore, the United States is making the effort to provide an equal education with questionable results.

In debates about public education, what is the “achievement gap?” What policies have been implemented to address this

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.

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.

Diane Ravitch a research professor of education at New York University, spoke about an interesting truth, saying, “The achievement gaps are rooted in social, political, and economic structures. If we are unwilling to change the root cause, we are unlikely ever to close the gaps.” The success of our children’s education is mainly caused by economic, social and political statue. If one does not end the cycle the gap will most likely never close. This ties in with when Kozol cites Marina Warner, an essayist and novelist, saying, “There are expensive children and there are cheap children, just as there are expensive women and cheap women.”(354) There are some children that will be fortune enough to have a

The major problem is that the achievement gap is not a problem that can be easily fixed. It will require billions upon billions of dollars and even then it is not a problem that money alone can fix. It will take better students, better teachers, and better administrators in some of the worst public schools in America. However, this is not a problem that only affects the worst schools. Even the best of public schools show that their lower income or minority students do poorer in the classroom then their counterparts. How can we solve this seemingly unsolvable problem? It has to start from the top. From the legislatures that lead America, they need to give the American school districts the tools to reduce this

One of the most epidemic problems that greatly affects the American public education today is the economic inequality and the resulting gap of academic achievement between rich and poor public schools. The problem started to exacerbate especially in the last fifty years as the gap is still widening and continue to be unsolved. Of course, poor students who come from financially unfortunate families are the main sect that feels its impact the most. Greg Duncan and Katherine Magnuson, a distinguished professor in education and the latter has a Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy, have showed the strong relationship and the inevitable relevance between the academic achievement of students and their families’ income. They noted that poor students from the bottom ten percent of the socioeconomic classes have been recorded to score at around more than a standard deviation lower than those from the top quintile in math and reading (47). In 1965, it was the first attempt from the government to propose, yet an imperfect, solution to the problem by issuing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Then in 1966, the Coleman Report had a major role in raising public opinion toward this issue and disclosing its real dimensions during the War on Poverty movement. Also, in order to understand the real size of this problem, we must consider all the major factors that contribute to this income achievement gap and its evolution over the

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.

“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.

A longitudinal study conducted by Ronald Ferguson, an economist who focuses on the achievement gap, is included in a video lecture. In this study, he discovered that people who do not have fundamental math and reading skills or do not have a college education have received “25 percent” less income since the 1970’s (“The Achievement Gap: Dr. Ronald F. Ferguson”).

In 2012, America’s education system was ranked slightly below average in a PISA global test, and since then, not a lot has changed. Today, America still ranks behind the world’s most developed countries in math, science and reading. The government needs to find an effective approach to improving this system so that American students can compete with other students from advanced countries in this competitive world. Yet, there is inequality in our education system and there is a gap dividing our students based on where they reside geographically, as well as their financial and racial backgrounds. On top of that, schools in these disadvantaged areas are getting hit the hardest with overcrowding which puts more strain on school infrastructure.

I strongly agree that there is a colossal gap in education between the affluent and underprivileged; that a parent’s education level impacts a child’s academic achievement as well their socioeconomic status. According to a CBS news article, African Americans tend to live in poverty, therefore, are not as primed to enter kindergarten as their peers. Education according to the Constitution education should be unbiased for all; however, it is not. One obstacle facing children living at or below the poverty level is that their parents either didn’t graduate from high school or they didn’t go to college therefore they have a lower wage job resulting in a poor standard of living for their family. About one-third of the high-income students in the

Since the beginning of American history, there has always been a gap in achievement between the Black and minority community versus their counterparts, the Whites. The difference between the two groups was that of opportunities. Minorities in the United States were initially deprived of all chances at prosperity, and Whites were born into a societal prosperity; an idea that Beverly Tatum calls “White Privilege.” While it is important to acknowledge that the educational gap between African-American and White students has diminished in regards to college enrollment, it is important to evaluate the differences between what affects certain races in attendance and completion of college. The factors that will be considered are family dynamics, finances,

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.