At the crux of the achievement gap is an education gap or grave inequities in the American educational system. Unless the education gap is effectively addressed, the achievement gap will persist. Ladson-Billings (2006) challenges the notion of an achievement gap instead emphasizing the education debt that the system owes to the mis-educated (poor and minority students) who have been inadequately served by American public schools.
What is your understanding of the achievement gap? What role if any does race, poverty, systems and structures (societal, schools, economic, political, etc.) play in the phenomenon of the achievement gap? What are the causes of the achievement gap?
Public Education has forced this education gap because it has not kept up with how students learn. The 19th century model of public education persisted through the 20th century, and now, with the technology age driving how we communicate, the education system has been left behind and young people are learning on their own in ways never imagined. Sure, there are education systems out there that are in the forefront, but, for the most part, the gap will continue until we improve our teaching corps and develop better ways of engaging students.
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico ranks 8th in worst teaching paying state. Average Salary 2010/2011: $46,950
ReplyDeleteNumber of Enrolled Students Per Teacher 2010/2011: 14.94 (33rd)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress Math Score 2009: 269.7 (48th)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Score 2009: 254.12 (46th)
Average Daily Attendance as a % of Fall Enrollment 2010/2011: 95.7% (9th)
High School Graduation Rate as % of Fall Enrollment 2010/2011: 5.92% (39th)
Gov. Susana Martinez believes that the $5.4 billion spending plan approved Friday by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee short changes education.. Last year, 24 school districts requested emergency financial help from the state. A bill that would tie teacher evaluations to student performance is pending before the Legislature.
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"Gov. Susana Martinez believes that the $5.4 billion spending plan approved Friday by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee short changes education.." Really?How so? Where is Martinez coming from with that--or who wrote this--misquote--as a leader needs to understand the situation at the bottom before coming down the top....
ReplyDeleteLearners need to be identified early as to their strengths and weaknesses. Retention of all students requires teachers to recognize where a student has a gap and build it from within. The more students a teacher has in the classroom, the harder it will be to patch all the gaps. If teachers used a system like the Khan Academy (kahnacademy.org) students could move at their own pace by viewing and reviewing an online video of the lesson, then come to the classroom to get help from the teacher. Turning education around: guided practice at home, homework at school.
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