Achievement gap revisited
The North Carolina Justice Center recently released its 2006 report on the academic achievement gap between minority and non-minority students. You can access the report here. The center has been doing these reports since 2000.
Among other things, the center found that while minority students are doing better on math and reading end-of-grade tests in third through eighth grades, they still trail behind white students. For example, 88.1 percent of white students scored at or above level three on EOGs versus 66.1 percent for black students and 71.9 percent for hispanic students.
Reasons for the achievement gap include fewer minority students enrolling in advanced courses, disproportionate suspension rates and over-identification of minority students for special education, according to the report.
Read the report and let me know if any of the findings surprised you or if you find any challenges especially applicable to Guilford County.
Comments (7)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
I read the report and I was not at all impressed. (I was impressed with the findings of the audits performed at Smith, Dudley, and Andrews earlier this year).
The report is obviously written by extreme liberals who feel that more money thrown at schools will fix all the problems. Not true. The rest of the world is increasingly becoming more educated with fewer per-pupil dollars.
I also felt there were many, many statements made without any scientific data to support the statements. One example, on Page 4 – Nationally, there is growing support for vouchers and/or school choice that would drain resources from the state’s already struggling public schools.”
Where is the data to support this? How, exactly, would vouchers and/or school choice drain resources? Wouldn't the use of school vouchers and choice increase the competition among schools for students? If a school fails to attract students, shouldn't it be shut down and reconfigured?
I also find it odd that our own GCS statistician has publicly stated that there is no racial/ethnic achievement gap in GCS - contrary to this report.
Posted on April 26, 2006 12:37 PM
The $121,000 per year statistician has stated that there is "no racial gap" in Guilford County Schools. There is a "socioeconomic gap".
Where has Dr. Z been lately? Does he agree or disagree with this report?
Once again does this report include "why" more minorities are suspended? Does the report consider the home environment factor or lack thereof? Do the numbers take into consideration that more and more children who want to learn are going private, that considering the demographics of certain area, the number of minorities suspended per school are not disproportionate due to the demographics of the surrounding area?
Does the report consider that:
-some children do not want to be in school, do no try, and constantly disturb other in class
-that advanced classes are open to ALL students
-that how will some children excel in AP classes if they can't read
-what would happen if children with special needs where not identified; how much further would they be behind?
Posted on April 26, 2006 12:58 PM
For a different point of view:
Forbes Magazine
Gapology 101
Dan Seligman, 12.12.05
The latest preposterous idea in educationland is "closing the achievement gap." Educators everywhere are enlisting in the campaign and somehow not noticing that it can't possibly succeed.
.
.
.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2005/1212/120_print.html
Posted on April 26, 2006 2:36 PM
jwg,
Very, very interesting - thanks for sharing that article.
Isn't this the same as saying that all students will be proficient in ice skating, gymnastics, etc.?
We would never expect that all children could possibly master either of these sports, yet we expect it academically?
Posted on April 26, 2006 3:20 PM
GIGO, Dr. Z. is still around. Dr. Grief mentioned his name this week during the budget discussions.
It seems if Dr. Z. had a person or two to work with that even more valuable data could be uncovered........ But alas, Dr. Grief did also state that these additional people may not be within the budget.
Posted on April 27, 2006 11:39 AM
While each individual child is not just a statistic, since certain patterns keep repeating, one may reasonably posit some larger forces at work. Stephen Levitt and Steven Dubner of "Freakonomics" fame seem to have isolated some very credible correlators: if a mother waits until 30 to have a child, is from a middle- to higher- income bracket, gets involved in PTA, and has a good many books (50-100 or more; no need to read them, just have them around), and speaks English, the child will do better, on average, than others not as privileged.
Posted on May 15, 2006 7:45 PM
The Forbes article also fails to address WHY youngsters from lower economic homes ahve lower IQs. Are they implying it's racial genetics? Perhaps early childhood exposure to violence?
And if it is a "fool's errand", I gather Forbes thinks we should simply write off poor children, consigning them to early incarceration and/or death, multiple pregnancies and dead-end jobs? While the top 1% of American income-earners take home more than the bottom 95%? As worker productivity soared over the last few decades, real take-home income for the median groups FELL in constant dollars.
To hell with Forbes. If they believe in their vaunted God, they are in for a long eternity.
Meanwhile, I predict eventual nationwide strikes.
Posted on May 20, 2006 12:10 PM