School District Confronts Racial Achievement Gap
By Danny Rose, Staff Writer
What is the Achievement Gap?
The “Achievement Gap” refers to a difference in educational performance between white and underprivileged groups. For many years, it has been identified as a problem in school districts nationwide. The gap can be measured by comparing grades, standardized tests, and other measures of academic achievement.
In 2001, former President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, hoping to boost standards in public education. According to the National Governors Association, The goal of the act was to set higher standards for all students by establishing measurable goals of improvement. The act would give local school districts more money and more flexibility to use resources where they are most needed. The NCLB Act holds the schools responsible for making sure that kids are learning.
The act also requires states to develop standardized tests that are used to compare scores to other schools and see where help is needed.
The NCLB act is crucial in narrowing the achievement gap because it requires states to set the same bar for underprivileged students, such as students that come from economically disadvantaged families, have disabilities, are limited in English proficiency or are from minority groups.
This means that if a group constantly fails to meet the performance standards set by the state, the district must provide additional services to those failing students. As the National Governors Association put it, “schools are now only considered successful if they close the achievement gap.”
What Causes the Achievement Gap?
There are a number of theories as to why a gap exists. Scholars who study academic achievement have identified the role of parents, culture, student attitudes, teacher attitudes, and even early childhood education. In Beachwood, one possible explanation for those students new to the district is that they moved from a district with lower expectations. Because Beachwood has such a rigorous curriculum, transfer students often find themselves struggling in classes they were passing with ease at their old districts. This effect is more visible in honors and AP classes.
According to BHS Principal Robert Hardis, there is another, more subtle force at work creating a difference in achievement: institutionalized racism.
Institutionalized racism can be explained as “a form of racism which is structured into political and social institutions. It occurs when institutions, including corporations, governments and universities, discriminate either deliberately or indirectly, against certain groups of people. For example, race-based discrimination in housing, education, employment and health are forms of institutional racism.” In other words, it’s the actions made by people in power that are based on subconsciously racist assumptions.
To give a hypothetical example, imagine two students. Student A is white and student B is black. Both students take one AP class and are in the process of selecting classes for their next year. When student A (the white student) is asked if he is currently in any AP classes, the tone of voice in which the question is asked might be a “confirming a fact” tone, like “you take AP classes, right?” Now student B goes in to select his classes, and when asked if he is any AP classes, there could be skepticism and question in the counselor’s voice. This subtle expression of attitude and expectations, which could happen in any school, whether it comes from a teacher, counselor, administrator, or even a parent, could have a tremendous impact on a student’s expectations for himself. It’s not done on purpose by any means, but small differences like that are noticed by students and can possibly make a person think that he or she is capable of less than others.
Biased test questions are a form of institutionalized racism as well. Some critics have pointed out that if the creators of the test are predominately white, white culture will be embedded in the questions, giving white students an unfair advantage.
