A vision for changing beliefs and practices 1996 and coauthor of effort and excellence in urban classrooms. Closing the achievement gap educational leadership. Beginning in 1954, however, when the supreme court ruled in brown v. This book is about understanding what factors selected countries have applied to promote progress and what factors contribute to progress in the closing of. Despite years of reform, a persistent achievement gap remains between students in urban schools and elsewhere. The need for action we must not accept separate and unequal schools as if nothing can be done about segregation. No, great schools cant close achievement gaps all by.
On the one hand, working in youth development requires a belief. The answers are multiple, varied, complex, and interconnected, which is one reason why gaps can be so persistent despite the efforts of educators, schools, and whole systems. Achievement gap between white and black students still. Indeed, among black and hispanic students, the average 9yearold student today scores almost as well on the naep math tests as the average yearold did in 1978.
We also need to understand that the achievement gap is identified and measured by an imperfect instrument. It is most often used to describe the troubling performance gaps between many african. Closing the achievement gap through new methods and new policy is not impossible, as gains made in recent years by black students demonstrate. As i mentioned earlier, closing the achievement gap would both make us competitive globally and stimulate the economy. Plus easytounderstand solutions written by experts for thousands of other textbooks. No excuses paperback december 1, 2002 by patricia davenport author, gerald anderson author.
Closing the achievement gap by yvonne s freeman, david e freeman. One schools story margaret beecher west hartford public schools sheelah m. The achievement gap initiative at harvard university is a universitywide initiative to help raise achievement for all children while narrowing racial, ethnic and socioeconomic gaps. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. By the hechinger report contributor may 28, 2018, at 6. A recent analysis of lowincome student achievement in large u. Achievement gap definition the glossary of education reform.
Closing the racial academic achievement gap is highly recommended to all parents, educators and administrators and should be used as a road map. Specifically, our hispanic students will increase their graduation rate by a minimum of five percentage points each year by spring 2011. Commonlit behind the native american achievement gap. Since the 1960s, the only comprehensive method to define the gap itself has been standardized testing. January 8, 2020, as whose fault is the blackwhite achievement gap. But perhaps the biggest way to illustrate why we need to close the achievement gap is to show what is happening now.
National center for education statistics, 2000a, 2000b. Yvonne and david freeman provide four researchbased keys for closing the achievement gap. Historically, we have tried to raise the achievement level of lowachieving minority and immigrant students living in urban lowincome areas, but we now recognize that there is an even greater gap in student achievement in schools in suburban middleincome communities than. Schools and school districts that effectively implement these and other highleverage strategies with fidelity are getting results. That a dispro p o r tionate number of these students are minorities is one of the underlying reasons that the. It is designed to give principals and other educators across the. He is author of several books, including what really matters for struggling readers pearsonallynbacon, the handbook of reading disability research routledge coedited with anne mcgillfranzen and most recently, also with mcgillfranzen, summer reading. Oregons strategies for closing the achievement gap oregon educators, administrators, parents, community members and members of the oregon department of education are developing and implementing strategies that will be effective in closing the achievement gap. So says clarence page, pulitzer prizewinning columnist for the chicago tribune, and essayist of the 60minute documentary, closing the achievement gap. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads in more than a dozen categories. This is the story of amistad academy, a charter school founded to close the persistent and dramatic achievement gap between minority students and white students in americas public school system. The growing achievement gap income inequality is exacerbating the gap between rich and poor school children. Get kids emotionally involved2 challenges students to. With the stroke of a pen, this sweeping reform legislation ushered in a new generation of reform, and shifted the landscape of schooling in the common.
Liberal democracy and school desegregation paperback by. No excuses chronicles the steps brazosport independent school district took to dramatically increase achievement among students across the district regardless of their race, gender, or socioeconomic condition. Four states efforts by micah ann wixom january 2015 the achievement gap separating economically disadvantaged students from their more advantaged peers disproportionately affects students of color and has been the focus of discussion, research and controversy for more than 40 years. Nov 01, 2017 the role of collective efficacy in closing student achievement gaps. Closing the achievement gap with curriculum enrichment and differentiation.
Is the achievement gap the result of students lack of achievement, or the lack of opportunities theyre offered. Closing the achievement gap through projectbased learning. Mar 21, 2016 the basic premise underlying school reform today is that great schools can perform wonders, lifting students out of poverty and closing achievement gaps. Kevin welner, author of closing the opportunity gap, writes in a washington post editorial that it is time for educators to rethink how we measure achievement in the first place. A vision for changing beliefs and practices association for supervision and curriculum development, williams, belinda on. This second edition of closing the achievement gap argues that if education reform is to work, educators must become more sensitive to the worldviews of disadvantaged studentsand incorporate this awareness into their daytoday work. Teaching reading to black adolescent males stenhouse. If we are to create effective schools that truly serve all children, then closing the achievement gap is an essential priority. Well i think the reasons that social scientist have given a lot of attention to it has a lot to do with the fact that weve figured out that the test score gap played a very large role in. Closing the achievement gap from an international perspective. Despite years of reform, a persistent achievement gap re. What kinds of things are students working on, building and creating in classrooms. In other words, the only way to actually see the gap is by comparing the test scores of students of color to that of white students. This report focuses on the relationship between school funding, resource allocation, and achievement among students from lowincome families.
It provides an excellent model for anyone in the educational venue who is looking for solutions. Racial and ethnic inequality in education has a long and persistent history in the united states. Closely related to learning gap and opportunity gap, the term achievement gap refers to any significant and persistent disparity in academic performance or educational attainment between different groups of students, such as white students and minorities, for example, or students from higherincome and lowerincome households. These teachers organize curriculum around themes, use predictable classroom routines, and scaffold instruction in a variety of ways. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Free e book features various ways educators can motivate students and help them achieve success in school. Murphy, j 2010, bringing achievement gaps into focus, in the educators handbook for understanding and closing achievement gaps, corwin press, thousand oaks, ca, pp. It tackles the assumption that greater resources, delivered through fair and equitable school funding systems, could help raise academic outcomes and reduce the achievement gap. In addition to her work with the national education associations priority schools initiative, state departments, universities, national associations, and school districts, she was the editor of closing the achievement gap. From research to practice book the book explores the plethora of research surrounding the achievement gap in america. The ignored science that could help close the achievement gap.
Thats why it is essential to help struggling students close academic literacy gaps early on so they can be prepared to successfully tackle more complex materials. Figures 4 through 6 show statelevel progress in closing eighthgrade achievement gaps since 2003. Achievement gaps have been closing because black and hispanic students scores have improved very rapidly over the last 30 years. Aug 10, 2011 as a result, schools are being asked to close this gap and to help all children reach high standards. One factor that may help schools close racial achievement gap. Closing the achievement gap with the power of data. The achievement gap in education is really an opportunity gap. Closing the achievement gap by yvonne s freeman, david e.
Closing the achievement gap with curriculum enrichment. Closing the achievement gap professional education program. The achievement gap in education refers to the disparity in academic performance between groups of students. Raising achievement and closing the gap 3 introduction professionals who work directly with youth, or work to create environments where youth will thrive, are constantly confronted with two concepts that are often incompatible. Read the fulltext online edition of closing the achievement gap. The socalled achievement gap between the kids of top earners and those from the poorest families has increased by as much as 40. Lessons from successful schools executive summary he declaration that all children can learn has characterized american education over the past decade. Toward closing the achievement gap 3 2010 was a watershed year for education reform in massachusetts. Existing research used ecological models to document socialemotional.
Socialemotional factors affecting achievement outcomes. Achievement gap between white and black students still gaping after 50 years, the achievement gap between white and black students has barely narrowed. Closing the achievement gap alfred tatum for those who truly wish to leave no child behind, the racial achievement gap in literacy is one of the most difficult issues in education today, and nowhere does it manifest itself more perniciously than in the case of black adolescent males. In this radio interview, celeste headlee discusses how native americans are performing academically today with anton treuer. Yet, the issue took on increasing importance with the passage of the no child left. Closing the richpoor reading achievement gap teachers college press and with michael. Although nclb and state policies have not led to the desired outcome of closing the sesbased achievement gap at the national or state level lee, 2006. Four researchbased keys for closing the achievement gap are provided here. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. Sweeny university of connecticut the focus on the achievement gap has intensified since the no child left behind act nclb was passed in 2001. Closing the achievement gap page 2 of 20 christopher jencks. Exploring the characteristics and practices of urban school principals closing the achievement gap a dissertation presented to the faculty of california state university, san bernardino in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree doctor of education in educational leadership by gordon dion amerson jr. Welner a s s e r t, and the persistent practice of tracking denies a range of o p p o r tunities to large numbers of students.
Graduate credit is now available for individuals who complete the closing the achievement gap specialist after march 5, 2018. Closing the achievement gap by detracking achievement follows from opportunities, ms. Narrowing the achievement gap harvard education publishing. Creative ways to close the achievement gap the edvocate. Describing in detail and in an easytounderstand way how brazosport established a continuous improvement.
Closing the achievement gap specialist american school. Recognizing that goal setting and good intentions cannot close the gap, the authors provide a researchbased synthesis of the dynamics that contribute to urban students academic achievement patterns. Expertly curated help for closing the achievement gap. A vision for changing beliefs and practices, 2nd edition. In january, governor deval patrick signed an act relative to the achievement gap into law. Related stories in some cities, closing achievement gaps is not for schools to fix alone, september 12. The status quo of testbased accountability reform needs to give way to new, evidencebased approaches dedicated to building the capacity to accomplish. As part of the mock panel, they have been asked to make policy recommendations to their towns board of education.
Andersons book on closing the achievement gap is a must read for educators who face the daily challenge of reaching and teaching high poverty students who. Popular closing the achievement gap books showing 117 of 17 the new american dilemma. Closing the achievement gap kati haycock to increase the achievement levels of minority and lowincome students, we need to focus on what really matters. As you discuss these strategies, keep in mind a which strategies are already in place. It is useful for practitioners because it highlights the work of schools and districts that have reduced the gap. Explore six strategies that address the challenges of the achievement gap.
For me, the most powerful aspect of closing the achievement gap was the small group discussions in which teachers, principals, and district leaders all problem solved about how what we heard in sessions could be specifically applied to closing the achievement gap in our own unique schools. This book examines the conditions that lead to achievement gaps and offers measures for addressing and closing the gaps. Twenty percent of the children enrolled in rural and smalltown schools are noncaucasian, children of color. Students affected by achievement gaps find out which groups of students are affected by the achievement gaps. Free ebook features various ways educators can motivate students and help them achieve success in school. What is the achievement gap and what can educators do. The information presented in this book will go beyond. Due to zoning, new york city is experiencing one of the highest segregated divide in schools since preintegration. If aprils teachers or i had known about the additional ways to help close the achievement gap, we may have had even greater impact. If your school, or the school you are considering for your child, has disparities in outcomes between groups of students, you should look into why this gap exists and what measures the school is taking to close the gap. In order to resolve the achievement gap, historical practices that focus on educational equality, treating all students.
Many view this as an issue because schools with the highest concentration of african american and latinos generally have the. Racial and ethnic achievement gaps center for education. The ignored science that could help close the achievement gap theres a body of research on cognitive reading processes, so why isnt it being utilized. Truer is an american academic and author who focuses on ojibwe language and american indian studies.
As in nonrural schools, rural schools have yet to close the achievement gap across various racial and economic subgroups of this diverse population. Negative numbers indicate progress in closing a gap. Below is a list of the strategies being implemented across the state at schools, dis. Increase the overall graduation rate for all students by two percentage points each year. Comparing the two scenarios vividly illustrates the economic value of closing the achievement gap. Sep 05, 2006 schools and school districts that effectively implement these and other highleverage strategies with fidelity are getting results. We already know how to close the achievement gap education week. After you examine the data for your school or district, you can begin to identify the best strategies for you to use for closing the gaps.
The challenge of closing the achievement gap in america has less to do with a knowledge gap and is more connected to a will gap evident across all sectors of american society. Hochschild shelved 1 time as closing the achievementgap avg rating 4. How can teachers help older students who lack academic content knowledge and english language proficiency catch up with their classmates. In addition to talking about education of native americans today, he also discusses how the education of native americans has changed over.