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| Two kids learning Photo by Pixabay from Pexels |
High school principal Morgan Barth has guided several schools with mostly minority student populations and low-income students. As an educator, Morgan Barth is aware of how detrimental the achievement gap can be for these students and how important it is to understand its causes. The achievement gap, which refers to the disparities in academic performance between students from different ethnic and socioeconomic groups, occurs at three levels of education - the district level, in the classroom, and on an individual basis.
At the district level, school culture, as well as overt and hidden practices, affect student performance. Inequitable levels of school funding and uneven distribution of good teachers, as well as the inconsistent tracking of special education and advanced placement students, all contribute to exacerbating achievement gaps among minority and low-income students.
At the classroom level, struggling learners are disproportionately affected by a limited belief in their abilities. Teacher expectations play an important role in student achievement and in some cases, implicit biases can cause teachers to underestimate students’ abilities.
Finally, on an individual student level, there is the threat of stereotyping that leads some students to be perceived through a negative lens. In addition, minority and low-income students often have internalized beliefs about their abilities, or lack thereof, which affect their performance significantly.
At the district level, school culture, as well as overt and hidden practices, affect student performance. Inequitable levels of school funding and uneven distribution of good teachers, as well as the inconsistent tracking of special education and advanced placement students, all contribute to exacerbating achievement gaps among minority and low-income students.
At the classroom level, struggling learners are disproportionately affected by a limited belief in their abilities. Teacher expectations play an important role in student achievement and in some cases, implicit biases can cause teachers to underestimate students’ abilities.
Finally, on an individual student level, there is the threat of stereotyping that leads some students to be perceived through a negative lens. In addition, minority and low-income students often have internalized beliefs about their abilities, or lack thereof, which affect their performance significantly.
