Student achievement gap Essay Example for Free

Student achievement gap Essay Introduction A study achievement gap is considered to be the observed partiality and bias of educational measures between the working effectiveness of group of students (Lee, 2002). This group is described and identified on basis of gender, race, competency level and financial status. The race gap in educational accomplishment is an old issue. Several children are most likely to drop out of school. They are with or without school diplomas, cannot read or write or do simple math (Lee, 2002). The proof and data for the gap has been recorded which include drop out rates, number of students who have taken higher placement examination, top students and are admitted to higher-status secondary schools, colleges and other professional programs. This paper concentrates on the general question and then independently on the statistical gap in standardized test scores. The aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the differences between the two groups. Achievement Gap: Literature Review. In accordance to National Assessment of Educational Progress report, more than thirty percent of Asian-American students performed at proficient level whereas only ten percent of African-Americans did so in fourth grade reading exam. Disparities subsist in the student’s module-taking outline as well (Jansen Bruinsma, 2005). Researchers believe that disparities in achievement occur because of socioeconomic factors. In accordance to data of U. S Census Bureau, twenty seven percent of black children are living in poverty as compared to twelve percent of Asian-American children. Studies have also suggested that dropout rates are higher for children who do not have any access to proper housing and finance facilities and benefits. Another study indicates the boundaries and restrictions of economic and social mobility in African Americans and argues that their drop out rate is higher in schools in New York City. However, Asian Americans make up large portion of all the city’s elite magnet schools because they have good family background (Jansen Bruinsma, 2005). Case Study The case study selected to analyze the academic achievement gap study conducted in Cherry Creek School District in Colorado at high school level. The findings indicated that Asian American students performed at better levels than black students. The case study of Cherry Creek School District School lays out the causes for achievement gap. According to the research, they can be classified in to two main groups. They are the factors which are associated with financial status, societal ambience in which they live and their family background. The other factors are associated to student’s schools. Financial status is the main reason which shows low student achievement. Research shows has compared the living conditions of African Americans and Asian Americans and have reached to the conclusion that black students are living in poor conditions and they lack facilities. It also demonstrated that African Americans come from unstable family background which hinders in their learning process (Lee, 2002). Asian-Americans live in better conditions and come from stable family structure which allows them to perform better at school as compared to African-Americans. Achievement gap studied at Cherry Creek School District in math indicates that the gap exists because of lack of parent involvement. Educators have shown that parental involvement and cultural values play an essential role in school achievement among children of Asian Americans. Other factors which influence achievement gap are cultural attitudes and racism. A total of 72 blacks and 72 Asian Americans were interviewed. The number of low achieving students was higher in blacks as compared to Asian Americans. In the same school, Facts and figures collected suggested that about sixty percent of whites, Asians and blacks were high school students who were registered in an Algebra 1 course. However, the pattern changed for higher level math courses (Lee, 2002). Records indicated that sixty percent of Asian-Americans took Algebra 2 whereas only fifty five percent of black students were enrolled in it. The report showed that black students are behind their Asian-American counterparts on general knowledge and math skills. It showed that high percentage of Asian American students scored at proficient level while black students performed poorly in their math test. Conclusion This study demonstrates that Asian-American parents talk extensively to their children on the importance of customs, values and how to work in society. Whereas African American parents are not involved in their children school life. By comparing the two groups in the lights of economic and school contexts, it can be concluded that the gap between the black and Asian American students is wide because of socioeconomic backgrounds, family backgrounds and school contexts. This shows that culture plays an essential role in school achievement and demonstrates that culture interconnects with class, race and schools. References Lee, J. (2002). Racial and ethnic achievement gap trends: Reversing the progress toward equity? EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER, 31(1):3-12. Jansen, E. P. and Bruinsma, M. (2005). Explaining achievement in higher education. Educational Research and Evaluation, 11(3):235-252.