Speech- Jamie Smith

As students, we can all agree that there are several fundamental problems with our education system. So many problems, in fact, that to fix them all we would likely have to just completely start over. Unfortunately that’s not possible, so I will instead focus on one issue that people often try to avoid: the achievement gap.

The achievement gap is the disparity in success in school based on gender, race, or, most importantly, socioeconomic status. It is the sad truth that people from  lower income families consistently achieve at lower levels in school, and even worse is that the gap has significantly increased in the last three decades. Accoring to a comprehensive study by Sean F. Reardon, in less than 30 years, the achievement gap has grown by 40%.

Three main problems lie at the root of the achievement gap. 

The first is expectations. Teachers, and even parents, don’t believe that students in low-income families have a good chance of being good, determined students. When a student’s teachers and classmates don’t expect success, the student doesn’t succeed. It’s that simple. The student assumes the path that has been set out for him or her. These students lose all motivation to work hard and achieve because no one thinks they are capable. This problem exists in the mindsets of our education system in its entirety, and this mindset must change to close the achievement gap.

The second main problem is parent involvement. Students from families with lower incomes often have parents that don’t have the time or availability to contribute to their child’s education. Even reading books with children each night gives them an advantage before they start school. In later grades, parents who can help with their child’s homework give these students significant advantages over other students. We can try to remedy this with after school homework help sessions and other study groups that can at least attempt to play the role of a parent in assisting with a student’s education. Obviously study groups cannot replace parents, but until we find another solution, they are at least a start. 

This particular problem extends to preschool education as well. Higher income families are more able to afford preschool education, and studies have shown that the achievement gap is already present in kindergarten. Preschool needs to be available to all children to prevent the achievement gap from existing at such a young age.

The third main problem is inequities between schools in lower income districts and higher income districts. These inequities come not just in the form of funding, but also in the teachers that are employed to these schools. Evidence of this discrepancy  can be found in both professional research and in listening to students in our own community. 

In a study about the inequitable distribution of teachers by Frank Adamson and Linda Darling-Hammond, they found that schools in lower-income districts hire less qualified teachers who are paid less and serve students with greater needs in the classroom. I found the same results when I discussed the matter with several students at Winburn Middle School last year- students both in and out of the gifted and talented program. The students in the gifted program claimed to have had mostly good teachers throughout their educational careers, while the students from the neighborhood who were not  in the gifted program claimed the opposite. The same issue is addressed in the documentary Waiting for “Superman”. It documents the experiences of several students who are in failing schools but have no option to attend a better (private) school because of their income. 

This should not be a problem. The law tells us that schools are supposed to be a place where everyone  has equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status. But schools aren’t that place , and we need to change that.

The achievement gap is one of the most important problems in our education system. It is proof that our education system makes it easy for some to succeed while setting up others for failure, and it is hardly ever even discussed when talking about education policy. To right this fundamental wrong in our schools, we need to consistently make it part of the conversation. We then have to realize that our mindsets and stereotypes about races, genders, and income levels are causing harm to our society and we need to promote a change in these mindsets. Next we need to find a way to increase parent involvement in schooling and increase the ability for all children to attend preschool in order to give every student an equal opportunity to succeed. Finally, we need to equally distribute money, resources, and high quality teachers between schools in different districts with differing levels of income. 

The achievement gap is an issue that has plagued our education system for its entire existence, and it is time that we did something about it. We need to put a focus on it in the education policy discussion and give every student an equal chance to succeed.

Sources:

Adamson, Frank, and Linda Darling-Hammond. "Funding Disparities and the Inequitable Distribution of Teachers: Evaluating Sources and Solutions." Education Policy Analysis Archives 20: n. pag. Print.

Coleman, David. "Common Core State Standards." Gates Foundation. , . 1 Sept. 2011. Lecture.

Obama, Barack. Interview by Michael Shear and Nick Anderson. Obama Uses Funding to Get Education Changes. 24 Jul. 2009. Web. 24 Jun. 2014.

Reardon, Sean F. "Membership." Faces of Poverty 60.8 (2013): 10-16. Educational Leadership:Faces of Poverty:The Widening Income Achievement Gap. May 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.

Rojas-LeBouef, Ana, and John R. Slate. "The Achievement Gap Between White and Non-White Students: A Conceptual Analysis." International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation 7: n. pag. Print.

Waiting for "Superman". Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2010. .