Achievement: Bridging the Gap
The achievement gap between African American and white students is a continuing problem in America. Black students are not performing at the academic level as white students. There are many contributing factors for this gap in achievement, including poverty, politics, racism, low skill level at kindergarten, content lacking curriculum, low teacher expectations and uninvolved parents. Because these things play into the achievement gap, they are important and each needs to be addressed. By providing students with well educated, good role model teachers who enrich education, we can begin to eliminate the gap. We need to come together as a community to eliminate this problem, inspiring black students to be all that they dream of being.
Culture can be defined by the way people perceive, believe, behave and interact with the world around them. Culture is an identity, whether it is race, belief systems, socioeconomic status or all of them combined. Being a part of a certain culture defines who a person is, and can contribute to who that person will become. There are religious cultures, racial cultures, and many communities and lifestyles that help a child develop in the early years. In fact, parents are the first educators for children. From birth, we are influenced by the dialect, vocabulary and lifestyle of our parents and surrounding community. In an article in the Teacher’s College Record, Farkas notes, “The first five years of life are a period of extraordinary cognitive and behavioral development, and it is not surprising that family structure and parental education, occupation and income should affect this” (2003). Parents who lack higher education are not able to give their children the skills needed to enter school.
Black children are entering kindergarten with lower skills than those of their white peers. Farkas also notes that according to a study done by, Phillips, Crouse and Ralph, it was observed that “Black 6-year-old’s vocabulary scores match those of White 5-year-olds, so African American students begin school approximately one year behind white students” (2003). Low entry skill levels in elementary school are a prelude to the larger gap at graduation. In an attempt to strengthen skill levels in the early years, politicians have tried to implement early education programs: “Head Start, the only program implemented on a large scale, has thus far not succeeded in eliminating this gap. This is likely because, Head Start devotes too little attention to explicit instruction in cognitive skills” (Farkas). Our children need a more secure start to their education. Arizona Governor, Janet Napolitano, understands the importance of early education and has “made the phase-in for voluntary full-day kindergarten for every public school the centerpiece of [her] legislative agenda this year” (Napolitano). It is time for our politicians to step up and face our children, all of our children, and put their money where their mouth is. Our budget planners need to help parents provide quality pre-schools and daycare centers that have age appropriate environments that promote basic learning skills. African American children in all communities must be given the equal opportunity for education through early pre-school education.
It is impossible to discuss early education without also discussing poverty. People are usually in poverty because they do not have the employment or educational skills to maintain a higher paying job. The unfortunate fact is that “Black students are far more likely than whites to grow up in disadvantaged circumstances” (Thernstrom, p. 124). Poverty is a contributing factor to the achievement gap. Education is the key to eliminating the achievement gap and raising the income levels of these families. Parents in poverty situations are often uninvolved in their child’s school. In an interview with Principal Christiansen, of Longfellow Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona, Christiansen states, “Parents feel intimidated to come onto the campus; it is not their turf. Most of the parents do not have a college degree and many of them have not completed high school. They feel very uncomfortable talking to teachers who have college degrees.” Poverty stricken, uneducated parents are unable to give their children the proper foundation they need to enter school at the same level as more affluent children. A quote by Peter S. Jennison forms a visual in the mind regarding children in poverty:
The poor and the affluent are not communicating because they do not have the same words. When we talk of the millions who are culturally deprived, we refer not to those who do not have access to good libraries and bookstores, or to museums and centers for the performing arts, but those deprived of the words with which everything else is built, the words that open doors. Children without words are licked before they start. The legion of the young wordless in urban and rural slums, eight to ten years old, do not know the meaning of hundreds of words which most middle-class people assume to be familiar to much younger children. Most of them have never seen their parents read a book or a magazine, or heard words used in other than rudimentary ways related to physical needs and functions. (www.ifla.org)
Currently, in many of our public schools, teachers and principals are not creating a culture for learning. The classroom is a standardized test driven, overcrowded environment where children are not given the opportunity to think outside the box. American teachers are being forced to teach to the test so that our students are becoming test takers and not thinkers. In order for educators to bring each child to his or her full potential they must create a culture for learning. When a child walks into a classroom, he/she must feel like they have stepped into a place with a mission. The child must also feel as though they are part of that mission. There are several schools that are doing just that. They have taken the achievement gap seriously and are proving that low socioeconomic status does not have to hinder the child’s education. Bennet-Kew Elementary: Inglewood, California, Earhart Elementary: Chicago, Illinois, and The Crown School: Brooklyn, New York, are all schools in low-socioeconomic neighborhood who have raised the bar for education. Hellen DeBerry of Earhart Elementary says, “Economic status has nothing to do with intellectual ability . . . Provide the free meals to those who need them, but keep your academic standards (Carter, p. 29) These schools have set the standard high and they expect the children to perform to that standard. They are telling the students that they care enough to make them work. In the book, No Excuses: Seven Principals of Low-Income Schools Who Set the Standard for High Achievement, Principal Hodge, of Frederic Douglas Academy (FDA) states, “The more difficult the curriculum, the greater the likelihood your students will be successful” (Carter, p. 15). If we tell the students they can succeed and then actually expect them to, they will rise to the challenge. Principal Hodge is an educator who takes education seriously and sets a standard for excellence in the school. FDA has 1,030 students and an 80% low income rate among 7-12 grade students in Harlem, New York. This school has proven that children can learn when given an environment that sets the tone for learning. His “middle school test scores ranked 12th of 235 in New York city, 32 percentage points higher than the city average in reading and 26 points higher in math” (Carter, p. 13). This commitment to the education of his students has proven effective in test scores and has given the children hope for a future without poverty.
Often when children come to school from low-income families and with low-entry level skills, teachers automatically assume that the child is not capable of rising to the challenge of learning. Journalist, Sam Fullerwood wrote, “Many black students miss the joy of learning because their teachers do not think them capable of it. Too many educators send subtle or unconscious signals to black students, that they do not belong where learning is taking place” (Thernstrom, p. 194). Rather than offering extra help to the child to stimulate achievement, teachers lower the expectations of the student, hindering their motivation to be their very best. Although most low expectations are subtle, some teachers actually tell the students that they cannot achieve. In a discussion about low teacher expectations, Randy Alexis, a black professional who immigrated to America from Haiti in elementary school, was asked if he ever felt like teachers had low expectations of him. He said, “Yes, I had a teacher in 7th grade who told me, and two of my black friends in front of the whole class, that we would never amount to anything. She said that we would either end up in jail, on drugs or dead.” He also mentioned that those words have stayed with him his entire life. Teachers are not all as blatant as Randy’s, some teachers feel compassion for low income students and say, “We feel sorry for [the] kids, and we don’t want to push them hard” (Barnes, p. 67). Most teachers enter the profession of teaching because they love children and they want to make a difference in the lives of those children. It is not fair for teachers to determine the fate of a child; that is not what a teacher is for. Educators need to continue raising the bar of expectations, expecting that students can and will learn. By asking students to perform to the ability that they are capable of, teachers are sending a message that students can learn and succeed in the world.
The same high expectation that we have of our students, we must also have of our teachers. Teachers set the tone of the classroom and if their pedagogical skills are inadequate, students will suffer. Well educated teachers might be the most important part to lowering the achievement gap. The impact that teachers have on students is profound. Teachers teach basic skills, as well as acceptance and respect for others. The curriculum that is being taught in schools can be a large part of the achievement gap and teachers have the power to choose their material. Each grade level has certain criteria to meet for state and national standards, and teachers need to find a way of teaching the standards while building up the minority student. According to an article in The Washington Post entitled, “Students Say Gap Deeper than Scores; Blacks Tell Panel They Feel Left Out,” ten students were able to ask questions of the Board of Education in Maryland. The students were telling the Board that they felt left out and asked, “How can teachers integrate black history into their curriculum, so that students learn about Frederick Douglass alongside Abraham Lincoln” (Mui, 2003)? This is a wonderful question that cannot be ignored. Although this question was not answered in the article, the board members did show promise by saying, “We have work to do” (Mui, 2003). Teachers can build their curriculum incorporating the Black historical figures who have helped shape our nation. Teachers can teach History and heritage to their students, building on self respect and identity at the same time. Many schools have put history on the back burner making room for reading, writing and math, subjects that standardized tests focus on. Students must be reading, why can’t they be reading about Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks? The fact is, they can. Teachers can incorporate these black leaders into the curriculum very easily. The incorporation not only empowers black students, but it also gives white students another side of history. It would give the students a more rounded, comprehensive education. However, a curriculum rich with cultural diversity is only one way to lower the achievement gap. Teachers must also be aware of how they are managing the cultural differences in their classrooms.
The topic of unconscious racism is a touchy subject and not one that is easily addressed. However, it is a real topic and one that must be addressed. Although our public schools have been desegregated, we are seeing a rise in segregation in the classrooms. According to an article in Appleseed Today, “Black students are over represented in special education classes and underrepresented in college preparatory classes in U.S. high schools” (Patten, 2003). Our students are being separated in their own classrooms. Imani Farley, an African American tenth grader states, “Sometimes, counselors don’t encourage you to challenge yourself. I think blacks are discouraged from being in honors or AP classes because they see no one else [from] their race in those classes” (Viadero, 2000). It is not being argued to place students who have not achieved basic level performance into college prep classes, but we must look at the ability grouping in early years to see how that affects the student later. We are grouping students together in elementary schools according to their ability which naturally places low income, predominantly minority students into the same low achievement groups. When students are placed in a reading group with other students who are not performing, the likelihood of complacency is increased. It is very easy for these students to accept the low-level ability with which they belong, creating complacency in education. We need to challenge our students, allowing them to rise to the level that they are capable of, realizing that they can learn and move up the educational ladder to success.
By challenging students, teachers are empowering students to break stereotypes and succeed at a level that is expected of them. Empowerment is motivation. Throughout history African American people have had to fight for their education. In a Witness for Justice article, Jackson states, “Somehow, along the way, the respect for education which drove slaves to learn to read illegally at a great sacrifice, has been lost” (Jackson, 2002). It is essential that we break the cycle of complacency and stereotypes and help lower the gap in achievement so African American people have an equal opportunity for success in America. The fact is, “blacks relative educational achievement during elementary and secondary school appeared to be highly correlated with their relative success” (“Early education”, 2001). This statement is true of most people, if you do poorly in school, you will not succeed in the world at the same competitive level as people who have a better education. The educational achievement gap is deflating the educational springboard needed to launch African Americans to a higher level in society.
The achievement gap between African American and white students is a huge problem, but one that can be fixed. There are many schools that are already addressing the problem with great success; we must not assume that success is out of our reach. Educators and politicians have a wonderful opportunity because of the examples that have been set and the desire of black students to succeed. Politicians need to continue to take a proactive stand on early education. We need to provide pre-school opportunities that teach basic skills to our children. By giving our students the early education they need, segregation, ability grouping and low expectations could cease to exist. Black children will enter kindergarten at the same level as white students and have greater opportunities for achievement. While providing early education to children, we also need to provide continued education for their parents. By enriching a parent’s education, we are providing an opportunity for them to help and encourage their children. Once we have the foundation for education set in the home, we can follow up with a richer curriculum in school. It is essential for all students to learn about black history throughout their education. We need to incorporate it into the lessons that we already teach. By expanding black history from February and teaching it all year, we are telling the students that they are important all year long. Theirs is not a minor part in history, but an important role in shaping America into what it is today. By allowing this rich content curriculum into the classroom, it breaks down walls of discomfort and opens the door to change and stimulation. In order to provide this challenging, rich curriculum we must have well educated, committed teachers who provide extra help to all children when they struggle. Teachers need to follow the strong leadership of the principal in setting the expectations high above the stereotypes. They also need to be aware of the obstacles many students bring to class and be willing to work with those obstacles and rise above them. John F. Kennedy stated, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource.” It is essential to the future of African Americans success, and the success of future generations in America that we shape these young minds into motivated learners who will go out into the world and succeed in everything they attempt to do. In order to provide the very best that education has to offer and create a culture for learning, we must become a team of educators, politicians, parents and students.
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