Running head: ADDRESSING THE AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT 1

Addressing the American Achievement Gap

Dwight Quinn

Central Michigan University

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Addressing the American Achievement Gap

American public school education faces a momentous challenge that it most conquer. It is

a challenge of equity, diversity, and core democratic values. This challenge is often referred to as

the achievement gap. The achievement gap describes the disparity in academic performance

between groups of students. Groups of students most often experiencing achievement gaps are

racial and ethnic minorities, English language learners, students with disabilities, boys/girls, and

students from low-income families. Indicators of the achievement gap can be performance on

standardized tests and access to key opportunities and attainments. This lack of access makes

solving the achievement gap of urgent importance. By the year 2020, it is estimated that about

45% of the American student population will be of a minority background. In order to reach our

goals as a nation, we can, and we must serve these students better. We are preparing our students

to compete globally. To do so, we must begin shrinking the gap between groups of students so

that more of our citizens can contribute to our nations success. To summarize, an achievement

gap exists between America’s most disadvantaged students and their more affluent counterparts

that requires the nation’s intentional and deliberate actions. In this paper, I will describe potential

solutions aimed at addressing and correcting this inequality.

Literature Review

There is a plethora of literature and information available on the topic of the American

achievement gap. The information available highlights the inequalities of this problem and the

need for urgent attention to the matter. Here are some key facts regarding the achievement gap

based on the work of Nancy Kober:

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 A wide racial/ethnic gap exists in achievement test scores: African American and

Hispanic students score significantly lower, on overage, than White and Asian

students

 The achievement gap is present before children start school

 It is wrong to assert that the quality of public schools is declining because of the

achievement gap. Over the past 25 to 30 years, every subgroup of students,

including Black and Hispanic has improved its average achievement.

 When achievement rises for all subgroups, African American and Hispanic

students must improve at a faster rate than others for the gap to close.

 The achievement gap is not due to differences in innate ability, nor is it simply the

result of biased test questions

 Racial-ethnic differences in family income contribute to the achievement gap but

do not entirely explain it.

 There is no simple explanation for the achievement gap. A variety of school,

community, and home factors seems to underlie or contribute to the gap.

 The gap shrunk once during the 1970s and 1980s, and it can be done again.

Review of the literature reveals a serious problem but offers hope to a troubling and

problematic situation. Through research and literature review, I’ve gathered a unique set of

solutions that offer potential success in solving the American achievement gap.

Possible Solutions

Funding

When it comes to addressing the achievement gap, one possible solution is through

funding or finance reform. Ironically, research has long showed there to be a funding gap
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between low-income students and their wealthier counterparts as well between minority students

and nonminority students. Since it takes more money to catch students up, it is argued that the

funding gap contributes to the achievement gap. Researchers have identified proven policy

options that have successfully contributed to the closing of both funding and achievement gaps.

These strategies include reducing our schools reliance on local property taxes to fund education,

targeting extra funds to help low-income children, address funding gaps for individual schools

within districts, and improve each state’s education funding effort. Research suggests

implementing these four strategies as part of a series of strategies designed to close funding and

achievement gaps.

Cultural Competence

Another possible solution for addressing the achievement gap is through integrating

cultural competence into the curriculum and learning of all children. Research has focused on the

following three premises: 1) Teaching about the achievements of African Americans enhances

student literacy and achievement in schools; 2) Multicultural education can be taught

successfully to all students; 3) Minority students including African Americans benefit from the

instruction of curriculum that reflects their history (Coggins, 2008). Moreover, research indicates

that by the year 2020 the white student population will account for only about 55% of the public

schools. Therefore, it is crucial that all teachers have a deep understanding and astute awareness

of these premises to combat the achievement gap. With this understanding and awareness,

researchers argue that teachers are better equipped in tackling this challenge. Proponents of this

strategy argue that the work of gaining cultural competence and teaching of African-American

history won’t occur automatically but rather will require persistence and advocation. Proponents
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cite mandates in the state of Florida that has gotten this work of the ground and argue for a

similar strategy to take place nationally.

Healthier Students

Finally, it has been argued that through a strong emphasis on fostering healthier students

the achievement gap can be shrunk. In fact, seven educationally relevant health disparities were

selected as strategic priorities to help close the achievement gap (Basch, 2011). These relevant

health disparities include vision, asthma, teen pregnancy, aggression and violence, physical

activity, breakfast, and inattention/hyperactivity. Research suggests that there is a link between

these health problems and student motivation as well as a student’s ability to learn. With this

knowledge, it is argued that our nation’s ability to close the achievement gap is severely limited

if students are unmotivated or unable to learn due to health problems. Therefore, a coordinated

effort designed to limit and/or eliminate these health problems is seen, by proponents, as a key

component of school improvement and a feasible way to help close the achievement gap.

Politics

Politics has played a significant role when it comes to the achievement gap. Two

landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions immediately come to mind when thinking about the

achievement gap. These Supreme Court decisions are the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision and the

Brown vs. Topeka, Kansas decision. Plessy vs Ferguson of 1896 upheld racial segregation laws

that became known as “separate but equal” (Coggins, 2008). While the Brown vs. Topeka,

Kansas decision in 1954 said that, “separate was not equal” and recommended that public

schools be desegregated so that all children despite race and ethnicity would be able to have

access to equal education in equally equipped environments (Coggins, 2008). These two

decisions helped shape and form many of the challenges and successes of American education. I
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believe that both decisions have contributed to the American achievement gap. More recently,

federal laws such as No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Act have been

crafted, at least in part, with the achievement gap in mind. With that said, major policy actors

would include the president, secretary of education, state and local legislators, and governors.

Recommendations

The American system for funding public schools is problematic and largely contributes to

the achievement gap. In fact, our system of funding is a crisis that demands our attention.

Therefore, I advocate for substantial changes to public school funding. For too long a funding

gap has existed between our highest and lowest poverty districts as well as our highest and

lowest minority districts and it has only helped to worsen the achievement gap for our neediest

children. Funding gaps and the lack of progress in eliminating them should enrage every civic

minded and future-focused citizen of this nation (Carey, 2004). If we are serious about closing

the achievement gap and addressing this inequality there are some straightforward proven policy

options aimed at closing the funding gap and as well as the achievement gap that we must

implement nationally.

The first of these options is to reduce our reliance on local property taxes. Because local

property values vary widely, property-rich districts can raise large amounts of revenue with low

tax rates, while property poor-districts are stuck with insufficient funding and high property tax

rates that burden homeowners and businesses alike (Carey, 2004). Researchers suggest

increasing support from other state sources and finding a way to allocate revenues in a way that

balances out local differences in property wealth. This would help to ensure that all children, no

matter geography, have access to quality education.

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In addition to reducing our reliance on local property taxes, it is suggested that our nation

begin to target extra funds to help low-income children. I would require states to intentionally do

more to target extra funding to high-poverty districts. In other words, states would be required to

adopt poverty-based funding strategies. This would be a program that allows for additional

funding to be provided to districts based on a measure of local poverty rate. In an effort to

provide flexibility to states, approaches could vary. Some states may determine a certain

threshold while other states may increase per pupil funding based on the percent of low-income

children.

Additionally, states would be required to fix funding gaps for individual schools within

districts. Each school would need to be provided the same amount of money per student. This is

necessary because research has shown that distribution of funding from building to building can

vary within a district. This distribution of money can significantly impact the quality of

education for children. Hence, the necessity for adopting this “student-based” budgeting. In fact,

a new study of two large urban districts that recently adopted this form of “student-based”

budgeting found greater funding equity among schools as the result (Carey, 2004).

Lastly, some states would be required to improve their education funding efforts. Simply

put, there are some states that ought to spend more on public education. In these states, all

children are underprovided for. I would require all states to meet a threshold for education

funding efforts.

As part of my recommendation, I would implement the four options presented in this

paper nationwide. Policy instruments that would help me implement this change are mandates,

capacity building, and system change. I advocate for more equitable funding because I believe
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that it will have the greatest impact on equity, diversity, and democratic values. It my belief that

this strategy would ultimately reduce and help to close the American achievement gap.
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References

Type your references here in alphabetical order following the examples below. Then delete the

examples below.

Basch, C. E. (2011). Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in School Reforms

to Close the Achievement Gap. Journal of School Health. 81, 593-598.

Carey, K. (2004). The Funding Gap 2004. The Education Trust.

Coggins, P. (2008). Using Cultural Competence to Close the Achievement Gap. The Journal of

Pan African Studies, vol 2, no. 4.

Fowler, Frances. (2013). Policy studies for educational leaders: An introduction. New Jersey:

Pearson Education, Inc.