Introduction: Many schools in Ohio and other states are being threatened by a law suit by the NAACP regarding the disparity in test scores of African-American minority students, compared to those of white students from affluent districts. Eighteen school districts are performing below state standards. Of these eighteen schools, seven of the eight largest urban school districts, which educate a large number of Ohio’s minority students, are in academic emergency. In order to close this gap various plans have been devised and approaches have been favored in resolving this pressing problem. The first approach favors the idea that the greatest problem causing the gap in test scores is the inability to achieve higher standards. The second approach sites reasons related to multi-cultural and ethnic diversity as the overriding cause of the achievement gap. The third approach favors the belief that lack of funding and the other stresses associated with financial strain are the largest causes of the disparity in test scores between minority and white students. Within this framework we will look at these approaches according to the problems that we have found are the leading causes of the achievement gap, and look at solutions that have been tried, and also form some new conclusions as well. This is a huge problem in our schools in the United States, and these approaches are a step in looking at how this problem can be solved.
APPROACH ONE: SETTING HIGHER
STANDARDS
At the heart of approach one are the following ideas: everyone can perform and students need to be challenged to achieve; having fair expectations for schools prepares students for a competitive job market; and the tests that are advocated would show student achievement based on factual, concrete evidence. Three strands intertwine to make up the approach. They are higher standards for achievement, accountability for students and teachers, and better tests. In an attempt to reduce the achievement gap, the three aforementioned strands are incorporated.
Higher standards are politically set expectations established so that all students receive an equal education. Students and teachers need higher standards for achievement. Higher standards will reduce the achievement gap by raising the level of performance. Equal opportunity is promoted in this approach because all students are expected to perform at the same level.
Accountability in schools will make more schools more effective because it points out who is responsible for what. For improving student achievement, teachers become the most critical level of the education system. However, teachers should only be held accountable for providing good teaching and doing the best they can. Accountability is based on the teacher’s adjusting practice to maximize the likelihood of student success and to minimize student failure. Holding teachers accountable for student performance does not allow room for students to be accountable and take responsibility for their own actions. Accountability systems usually maintain several components, such as: standards, assessments (standardized tests), other indicators of performance (graduation rates, dropout rates), rewards, and sanctions. By setting up a system where teachers are truly held accountable for the teaching they provide, student achievement will certainly increase.
Assessment systems, including classroom tests and standardized tests, are used to measure student achievement. Assessment systems provide information about whether students have reached learning goals and it displays their progress. It provides useful diagnostic information.
What should be done?
- Higher standards for teachers and students should be set.
- Teachers need to be held accountable for quality teaching.
- Better assessments, such as standardized tests, need to be improved so that student learning is shown.
In Support:
- American
students need to be exposed to a quality, standardized education so that
they start off with equal opportunities.
- Holding
people accountable for their work ensures quality schools because people
have to perform well in order to keep the jobs.
- Standardized
tests is factual, concrete evidence of student learning, which ensures
that students are receiving a quality education.
In Opposition:
- Higher standards, accountability, and standardized tests have been in effect for many years and have not closed the gap yet.
- By taking standardized tests, teachers are accountable to a testing company and not the school.
Drawbacks/Tradeoffs:
- The cost of implementing this approach could take funds away from areas where the money is desperately needed.
- When standardized tests hold so much importance in determining how much funding a school receives or whether or not a teacher gets to keep their job, teaching to the test may result, which often does not include higher order thinking skills.
Further readings:
http://www.edexcellence.net/topics/standards.html
http://www.state.oh.us/goals98/index.htm
APPROACH
TWO: Multicultural Issues Related to the Achievement Gap
The achievement
gaps greatest problem is the issue of multiculturalism and the various concerns
associated with this topic. It is
assumed that everyone has the same life experience, when the truth is that
various cultures practice different daily activities. Proponents of this view may believe that
questions on the test reflect euro-centric values and beliefs and do not connect with students from differing
cultural backgrounds. There is also a
concern with non-English speaking students taking proficiency tests written in
English. Proponents may also believe
that teachers are unable to relate and connect to students of underrepresented
minority groups.
Train teachers to gain an in-depth understanding of the cultural practices and beliefs held by the students in their class so they may design lessons that reflect practices familiar to the students. Students will then be able to make connections between academic content areas and their daily lives. This will also help to break down barriers between Caucasian teachers and minority students. Fine Art programs encourage multi-cultural awareness. Since music art dance and theatre have direct cultural connections, students are able to enhance their understanding of different cultures through hands on experience. When respect between ethnicities is increased, it will be easier for Caucasian teachers to connect with minority students.
All areas of the proficiency test assess every child’s ability to read in English. Even the math section has story problems, which reflect the child’s ability to read rather than their proficiency in math. Students who are familiar with English as a second language should have the opportunity to express their knowledge in each content area regardless of their ability to read and understand the English language. Even students who are proficient in English may not be comfortable taking lengthy tests in a language they are not very familiar with. By offering the test in a different language more familiar to them, student’s knowledge may be assessed more accurately. America is a country where people come to find freedom from assimilation. By forcing children to take tests in a language unfamiliar to them is depriving them of the freedom their families came to this country to obtain.
While taking a standardized test, minority students are faced with questions of unfamiliar content. These test questions do not relate to experiences the children have had. This makes it difficult for the student to relate the context of the question to daily experience. Therefore the test results may not be indicative of the knowledge of the student.
What should be done?
- Institute fine arts program to increase respect for all ethnicities
- Offer standardized tests in different languages
- Eliminate ethnic bias in testing
In Support:
- An increase in cultural awareness and appreciation will result, which will benefit all students.
- Motivation to learn would be increased because all students would be learning material that was meaningful to them.
- When people’s various backgrounds are taken into account, tests contain more relevant material that helps them to achieve to their capabilities.
In Opposition:
- Someone will always be left out. One cannot cover all grounds for all experiences.
- By focusing so much attention on multicultural issues American values would be lost in the process
Drawbacks/Tradeoffs:
- When there is a focus on multiculturalism, there is not enough focus on academic content areas.
- Funding from other areas will be redirected into this program.
- The amount of time, energy and money to put a plan like this into action would exhaust the teachers. The quality of over-all teaching may decrease with this plan because it would force teachers and administrators to reach into already depleted resources.
Further Readings:
http://www.osbq.org/hottopics/gap
http://www.ksbe.state.ke.us/pre/lowachievers2000.html
http://www.knea.org/schools/gaplinks2.htm
Approach Three:
Socioeconomic Status: Show us the Money
The
achievement gap is caused by the socioeconomic status of the school. Outside
needs is defined as any situation that occurs outside of the school that can
make an impact on the institution and the students within the school. The two
major factors that coincide with outside needs are funding and family support.
Also, there would be less state intervention among schools, which allows the
school districts to distribute money without restrictions. Family support is the
attention a family spends with a child that reflects in their school
activities. The school would pay for tutors outside of the school to help
students with work. There would be after school programs for students who do
not have parental engagement at home. Schools should try and do activities that
focus more on student and family involvement.
In Ohio, funding is the amount of money each school district receives currently based on property taxes. In this approach, there will be a trend of equal opportunity for all students; Caucasian, African-American, and other minority students with special needs. Property taxes would be collected by a government agency and distributed evenly to each school district per student. No matter the status of the school, each district would receive an even share of the state’s taxes. Schools would not be required to spend their money in specific areas. The state would allow each school district to spend their money freely. Therefore, any money restrictions would be eliminated. Students with disabilities would also benefit in this approach by receiving funding that meets the needs of their disabilities. Any student who requires and Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be assessed according to the state. In addition, depending on the severity of each child and their disability will receive additional money.
Family support is another factor that may cause the achievement gap. The gap could be reduced if families played a more vital role in their child’s educational process. There are many actions that each family can do to help stimulate the students to educational thinking. Comparison between upper-class and lower-class families showing educational support are upper-class provide a more structured environment then that of the lower-class.
There are many ways in which the community can help support children in schools. Schools in which there is not very much community support tend to have students who perform low academically. Under this approach the community would help to put together a variety of activities including tutoring programs, latchkey, and recreational programs that include an after school sports program and community educational retreats.
What should be done?
- The issue of school funding needs to be addressed,
particularly by distributing money evenly to each school district per
student.
- Families need to take a more vital role in their
child’s educational process.
- Community
support should be increased in different ways to help support the school
district.
In Support:
· Children with special needs will benefit with this option because the schools will be able to provide them with the necessary equipment to aide their disability.
·
A huge attribute to this approach is that the
citizens on the low-income end of the spectrum won’t feel discriminated because
every student will be have an equal opportunity to achieve in their studies.
·
Studies show that parental more engagement
lowers the chances of teenage children using drugs, alcohol, tobacco products,
and partaking in sexual activities.
Children whose parents are disengaged have the poorest developmental
patterns, lack good self-esteem, lack psychological maturity, and lack social
competence.
·
There is more community involvement and it will
bring the community closer to the schools. The community will then, in part
give back to the schools. Therefore,
creating a positive relationship between the school and community. Also, the community may be more willing to
help out with fundraising, if they see achievement from the school.
In Opposition:
· Reallocating money is not going to solve any problems. Money should not be taken away from school districts because then they will lack resources.
· It costs the state more money because schools would be more likely to cheat the system. Considering that schools would be receiving the money separately, the state would have to keep the schools accountable for their student population. Therefore, it would cost the state more money to audit each individual school district.
· The lower class is not able to provide the structured environment, like the upper class because both parents may have to work or parents may be divorced. This limits the amount of time that can be spent with the child. If a parent works a night shift it makes it hard for him/her to spend quality time working on their child’s homework
· Additional community involvement will cost the citizens money. The different programs will require the community to provide a service for the students. The programs will also attract children that cause problems and would require the community to provide more security at the sites.
Drawbacks/Tradeoffs:
- A drawback is that this might not be the most
effective way to distribute money throughout the schools. One tradeoff is
that some schools will suffer a financial loss at the cost of other
schools within the state.
- Family involvement in education would difficult to
manipulate because some families have other priorities. A tradeoff would be that the families
would have to give up their previous engagements to be more involved in
their child’s education.
- Some communities cannot afford to have after school activities that benefit children. The community will have to allocate funds to allow for the latchkey programs.
Further Reading:
Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgResearch.shtml
Ohio Revised Code
Title [33] XXXIII Education –Libraries
Chapter 3315 School Funds