Achievement Gap

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who decided this? The whole of humanity.

Like it or not, we live in a society that gets ever more complex and full of new pressures. And like it or not, in order to make it in today's society, more and more you need to be proficiently literate, able to do math, and so on.

If students cannot master those core skills, they will almost certainly end up spending the remainder lives in the lower end of the income scale.

A modest investment of time and energy spent in grade school can pay off tremendously over the course of the rest of one's life.

Study after study shows this to be true. It's too bad that some people don't take it seriously and then wonder what happened, when they end up in poverty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who decided this? The whole of humanity.

Like it or not, we live in a society that gets ever more complex and full of new pressures. And like it or not, in order to make it in today's society, more and more you need to be proficiently literate, able to do math, and so on.

If students cannot master those core skills, they will almost certainly end up spending the remainder lives in the lower end of the income scale.

A modest investment of time and energy spent in grade school can pay off tremendously over the course of the rest of one's life.

Study after study shows this to be true. It's too bad that some people don't take it seriously and then wonder what happened, when they end up in poverty.

Who decided what? I was talking about the term achievement gap, not the need to master core skills and to make a modest investment of time and energy. Even doing those things, there is going to be an "achievement gap" if that means not everyone performs at the same level, even if they put in the same effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who decided this? The whole of humanity.

Like it or not, we live in a society that gets ever more complex and full of new pressures. And like it or not, in order to make it in today's society, more and more you need to be proficiently literate, able to do math, and so on.

If students cannot master those core skills, they will almost certainly end up spending the remainder lives in the lower end of the income scale.

A modest investment of time and energy spent in grade school can pay off tremendously over the course of the rest of one's life.

BS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is NOT just a SES issue. Google 'Shaker Heights achievement gap'. A study was conducted by anthropologist John Ogbu because of the achievement gap in an affluent, racially-diverse neighorhood in Ohio. While I do not agree with all of his findings, he does come to several excellent conclusions which should not be discounted.

It is well-known that the achievement gap persists even between high SES black and white students. It is definitely not just about SES.

I wish the term "achievement gap" had never been coined, and that closing it had never been identified as a goal.

really? who decided this?

It seems the important thing is that kids have the opportunity to achieve as well as they can -- not they are constantly being compared to each other on racial/ethnic grounds.

Asked and answered. Society demands performance. And, the only reason racial/ethnic questions get raised is because more often than not, there's a racial/ethnic correlation - and the Shaker Heights discussion shows that it's not always an SES correlation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Asked and answered. Society demands performance. And, the only reason racial/ethnic questions get raised is because more often than not, there's a racial/ethnic correlation - and the Shaker Heights discussion shows that it's not always an SES correlation.

Yep

One thing the Shaker Heights study doesn't touch on is how the black parents got to be so successful. It seems like some of the study and motivational skills that they are supposedly not passing on to their children were necessary for the parents to have to (presumably) do well in school and succeed in the workplace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Asked and answered. Society demands performance. And, the only reason racial/ethnic questions get raised is because more often than not, there's a racial/ethnic correlation - and the Shaker Heights discussion shows that it's not always an SES correlation.

Yep

One thing the Shaker Heights study doesn't touch on is how the black parents got to be so successful. It seems like some of the study and motivational skills that they are supposedly not passing on to their children were necessary for the parents to have to (presumably) do well in school and succeed in the workplace.

I discussed that article a few months ago with my DH. He said his parents reminded him a lot of the parents in the article - well-educated and successful themselves, yet lax on their children when it came to school. I was pretty shocked. Meanwhile, my parents only had high school educations and worked regular jobs, yet instilled in me from an early age how important it was to do well in school. DH and I have both done well for ourselves, but I was definitely the better student. Perhaps some black parents become too complacent once they have reached a certain level of education that the same will be a guarantee for their children. I certainly saw it happen with some of my white classmates in school. I distinctly remember a classmate whose father was a physician and the classmate barely graduated from high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who decided this? The whole of humanity.

Like it or not, we live in a society that gets ever more complex and full of new pressures. And like it or not, in order to make it in today's society, more and more you need to be proficiently literate, able to do math, and so on.

If students cannot master those core skills, they will almost certainly end up spending the remainder lives in the lower end of the income scale.

A modest investment of time and energy spent in grade school can pay off tremendously over the course of the rest of one's life.

Study after study shows this to be true. It's too bad that some people don't take it seriously and then wonder what happened, when they end up in poverty.

Who decided what? I was talking about the term achievement gap, not the need to master core skills and to make a modest investment of time and energy. Even doing those things, there is going to be an "achievement gap" if that means not everyone performs at the same level, even if they put in the same effort.

I understand your frustration. I hate discussing our dirty laundry on DCUM of all places. But the fact is our children are not being outperformed (something I could live with), they are UNDERperforming (which I find unacceptable). We can sweep the issue under the rug and allow our children to fall further behind, or we can acknowledge the problem and do something about it.

I think the Club 2012 parents in Loudon County came up with an excellent program to ensure their children succeeded and hope to do the same when my DC reach school age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I discussed that article a few months ago with my DH. He said his parents reminded him a lot of the parents in the article - well-educated and successful themselves, yet lax on their children when it came to school. I was pretty shocked. Meanwhile, my parents only had high school educations and worked regular jobs, yet instilled in me from an early age how important it was to do well in school. DH and I have both done well for ourselves, but I was definitely the better student. Perhaps some black parents become too complacent once they have reached a certain level of education that the same will be a guarantee for their children. I certainly saw it happen with some of my white classmates in school. I distinctly remember a classmate whose father was a physician and the classmate barely graduated from high school.

Interesting. Both my parents gave us kids lots and love and security and encouragement. Mom was very active in the PTA and on top of our school work, while Dad, first generation American like Mom, thought it was the school's job to handle education.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I too am tired of our (AA) kids UNDERperforming, and I have decided to try and do something about it. With school starting in 4 weeks, I still have some time to try and partner with my local elementary school and recreation center to offer intensive tutoring at the early level. Time to get my teaching materials out the boxes and put them to good use. It's one thing to talk about the issues and problems on this board, but that doesn't get results. We need ACTION!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I too am tired of our (AA) kids UNDERperforming, and I have decided to try and do something about it. With school starting in 4 weeks, I still have some time to try and partner with my local elementary school and recreation center to offer intensive tutoring at the early level. Time to get my teaching materials out the boxes and put them to good use. It's one thing to talk about the issues and problems on this board, but that doesn't get results. We need ACTION!!

And don't think there are a gazillion tutoring programs all over the District already?

[Anonymous]

I know there are programs already out there, I'm no fool, but I feel as if I need to personally take action instead of just talking about the situation. I live down the street from a low-income housing unit. I'll go door to door if I have to and try and grab a few of the younger students. Can I change the entire community, the neighborhood ES, of COURSE NOT? But, if I can make a difference in just a few kids lives, then it will be worth it.

[Anonymous]

There is a theory out there that is roughly called Grit- basically how much capacity a person has to stick through the hard stuff. I think we can see for a lot of kids poor and middle class that this can be a challenge. What I see happens to poor kids is that there is no back up if a kid does not express that level of grit and often are socieital effects which provide counter effects. Its an interesting theory.

What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?

Dominic Randolph can seem a little out of place at Riverdale Country School — which is odd, because he’s the headmaster. Riverdale is one of New York City’s most prestigious private schools, with a 104-year-old campus that looks down grandly on Van Cortlandt Park from the top of a steep hill in the richest part of the Bronx. On the discussion boards of UrbanBaby.com, worked-up moms from the Upper East Side argue over whether Riverdale sends enough seniors to Harvard, Yale and Princeton to be considered truly “TT” (top-tier, in UrbanBabyese), or whether it is more accurately labeled “2T” (second-tier), but it is, certainly, part of the city’s private-school elite, a place members of the establishment send their kids to learn to be members of the establishment. Tuition starts at $38,500 a year, and that’s for prekindergarten.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?_r=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I too am tired of our (AA) kids UNDERperforming, and I have decided to try and do something about it. With school starting in 4 weeks, I still have some time to try and partner with my local elementary school and recreation center to offer intensive tutoring at the early level. Time to get my teaching materials out the boxes and put them to good use. It's one thing to talk about the issues and problems on this board, but that doesn't get results. We need ACTION!!

I don't think "tutoring" is the answer. They offer that in every school in our area and it doesn't make a difference (Alex City - similar issues to low performing DC schools). I think it maybe that the tutors are often volunteers and really don't have the necessary understanding of how to work with a student or at their level so the tutoring really isn't much help to the student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I too am tired of our (AA) kids UNDERperforming, and I have decided to try and do something about it. With school starting in 4 weeks, I still have some time to try and partner with my local elementary school and recreation center to offer intensive tutoring at the early level. Time to get my teaching materials out the boxes and put them to good use. It's one thing to talk about the issues and problems on this board, but that doesn't get results. We need ACTION!!

OP, I think your determination to do something is admirable. I suggest that you also look into ways to address the issue from the parenting/early childhood end. Studies find that low income children are arriving in Kindergarten literally years behind. If that issue could be at least partially addressed, it would make the formal schooling years significantly more fruitful. Good luck to you and keep us updated on what you decide to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a theory out there that is roughly called Grit- basically how much capacity a person has to stick through the hard stuff. I think we can see for a lot of kids poor and middle class that this can be a challenge. What I see happens to poor kids is that there is no back up if a kid does not express that level of grit and often are socieital effects which provide counter effects. Its an interesting theory.

What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?

Dominic Randolph can seem a little out of place at Riverdale Country School — which is odd, because he’s the headmaster. Riverdale is one of New York City’s most prestigious private schools, with a 104-year-old campus that looks down grandly on Van Cortlandt Park from the top of a steep hill in the richest part of the Bronx. On the discussion boards of UrbanBaby.com, worked-up moms from the Upper East Side argue over whether Riverdale sends enough seniors to Harvard, Yale and Princeton to be considered truly “TT” (top-tier, in UrbanBabyese), or whether it is more accurately labeled “2T” (second-tier), but it is, certainly, part of the city’s private-school elite, a place members of the establishment send their kids to learn to be members of the establishment. Tuition starts at $38,500 a year, and that’s for prekindergarten.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/magazine/what-if-the-secret-to-success-is-failure.html?_r=1

I think the lack of a support system is key. If I had not had a program called Prep for Prep backing me up, I would have never been able to manage the set back and frustrations I encountered when I went to a school similar to Riverdale. It's not that parents don't want to help you achieve it's that 1) they don't know how to help and 2) they don't understand the cumulative effect of lots of small decisions like limiting television, speaking often to the child since birth, enouraging reading- constant reading, access to educational toys, and exposure by way of trips to museums etc. By the time the child arrives in kindergarden, the child is already behind. Not from lack of intelligence just from lack of capital invested in the child.

http://www.prepforprep.org/