The Achievement Gap and Its Impact
The achievement gap is the difference in educational performance between different groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, economic status, and/or disability. It affects individual students, families, communities, and the country as a whole.
Measuring the Achievement Gap
In addition to gaps in standardized test scores, achievement gaps can also be seen in other measures of student progress such as high school graduation rates and college completion. The achievement gap is a major obstacle to educational equality in America and is a critical issue for educators, policy makers, parents, and citizens alike.
Factors Contributing to the Achievement Gap
Many people believe that the achievement gap is a result of race and class and is simply an unfortunate consequence of being born into a particular socioeconomic environment. Others believe that innate differences in a person's genes or natural ability are a factor and that addressing these differences is the only way to close the gap.
However, there is much research that shows that these factors are not the only ones affecting a student's ability to learn. There are also more subtle environmental factors that influence a child's learning, and these can have a significant impact on a student's achievement.
Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gap
Connecting Home and School
One of the most important things schools can do to eliminate gaps in student achievement is to create strong, reliable relationships between schools, teachers, caregivers, and community members. This will help ensure that everyone has the tools and resources they need to succeed.
Keeping Instruction Evidence-Based
It is important for educators to know what is working and to use the data available to inform instruction. This can be done by using performance data to monitor progress, helping teachers understand which students are struggling and which are making steady gains. This information can be used to identify gaps in academic achievement that may need to be addressed and can also provide teachers with the tools to target intervention efforts.
The Achievement Gap Dashboard
The Achievement Gap Dashboard is a collection of single-year and trend data for a number of different student groups. For each applicable student group, context-based single-year and multi-year trend data for the achievement gap is displayed in the appropriate graphs. Threshold lines are added to some graphs at effect sizes of 0.2 and 0.5 to better identify whether the difference between student groups is small, medium, or large based on this determination.
Challenges and Solutions
While the achievement gap between black and white students has narrowed in recent decades, it remains a problem that needs to be addressed. It is a persistent challenge for students of all backgrounds and is particularly apparent in schools in urban areas.
The achievement gap is a complex issue that involves multiple variables, including school leadership and classroom practices, student experience, family and community characteristics, and the availability of school and extracurricular opportunities. The goal of eliminating the achievement gap is to increase student success and improve outcomes for all children. It is a complex task and will take some substantial effort on the part of education officials and local political leaders at both the state and district levels.
