How to Close the Achievement Gap
Acknowledge your own biases., Research community problems., Research school funding., Expand your horizons.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Acknowledge your own biases.
Everyone brings their own prejudices and biases to their perceptions of others.
Take some time to determine your own blind spots to help you overcome your own prejudices.
Pay attention to your behavior and see what you notice about judgments and subsequent reactions.
Think about your behavior with others.
For example, do you let boys in your classroom be noisier than girls, because boys are typically known to be rowdier? Are you surprised when you have an Asian student underperforming, because they are always supposed to be good students? These are implicit biases.
You may believe everyone is equal and deserving of equality, yet there may be exceptions to your beliefs.Pay attention to your language and body language when speaking to others.
Do you cross your arms in front of you when you are talking to certain types of people, for example? Does your tone of voice change, or do you use different words than you would normally use, when you are speaking to someone with a different background than you? -
Step 2: Research community problems.
Talk to community members in your school district, read the local paper, or attend local government meetings to understand the issues facing families in your community.
Learning about the issues facing the community will help you better understand the issues that your students may be dealing with.Look at your school’s socioeconomic makeup and determine if it is a school in a high-need area.
You may have many students in your school whose families are financially struggling, and therefore not able to give their children adequate educational support.Widespread substance abuse in your community could impact student performance.
Your community may have a large transient population.
Moving from place to place frequently can cause student stress, which you may be dealing with if you have a large military family or migrant worker population. , In the United States, schools are funded through federal and state funds, but are also funded largely by local property taxes.
As a result, wealthier areas pay more in property taxes, while poorer areas pay less.
This creates a funding gapPoorer schools face larger class sizes, struggles in retaining staff, and less parental involvement (both in volunteering their time and contributing financially).Students in poverty, as well as students of non-white ethnicities, are overwhelmingly concentrated in the lowest-achieving schools., Learn about the cultures of students at your school, especially if they are different from your own.
Our cultural backgrounds have a tremendous impact on who we are and how we see the world.Read books written by authors from your students’ cultures.
Ask your students to tell you about their cultural and/or religious traditions.
Find out if there is a local cultural event you can attend.
You could say, “If any of you know of any cultural events in the community, I’d love an invitation! I want to learn more about your background!” Talk to your students’ families.
For example, if your students are first-generation Americans from immigrant families, you could ask their parents, “What was your home country like? How is it different from here? What do you miss about it?” -
Step 3: Research school funding.
-
Step 4: Expand your horizons.
Detailed Guide
Everyone brings their own prejudices and biases to their perceptions of others.
Take some time to determine your own blind spots to help you overcome your own prejudices.
Pay attention to your behavior and see what you notice about judgments and subsequent reactions.
Think about your behavior with others.
For example, do you let boys in your classroom be noisier than girls, because boys are typically known to be rowdier? Are you surprised when you have an Asian student underperforming, because they are always supposed to be good students? These are implicit biases.
You may believe everyone is equal and deserving of equality, yet there may be exceptions to your beliefs.Pay attention to your language and body language when speaking to others.
Do you cross your arms in front of you when you are talking to certain types of people, for example? Does your tone of voice change, or do you use different words than you would normally use, when you are speaking to someone with a different background than you?
Talk to community members in your school district, read the local paper, or attend local government meetings to understand the issues facing families in your community.
Learning about the issues facing the community will help you better understand the issues that your students may be dealing with.Look at your school’s socioeconomic makeup and determine if it is a school in a high-need area.
You may have many students in your school whose families are financially struggling, and therefore not able to give their children adequate educational support.Widespread substance abuse in your community could impact student performance.
Your community may have a large transient population.
Moving from place to place frequently can cause student stress, which you may be dealing with if you have a large military family or migrant worker population. , In the United States, schools are funded through federal and state funds, but are also funded largely by local property taxes.
As a result, wealthier areas pay more in property taxes, while poorer areas pay less.
This creates a funding gapPoorer schools face larger class sizes, struggles in retaining staff, and less parental involvement (both in volunteering their time and contributing financially).Students in poverty, as well as students of non-white ethnicities, are overwhelmingly concentrated in the lowest-achieving schools., Learn about the cultures of students at your school, especially if they are different from your own.
Our cultural backgrounds have a tremendous impact on who we are and how we see the world.Read books written by authors from your students’ cultures.
Ask your students to tell you about their cultural and/or religious traditions.
Find out if there is a local cultural event you can attend.
You could say, “If any of you know of any cultural events in the community, I’d love an invitation! I want to learn more about your background!” Talk to your students’ families.
For example, if your students are first-generation Americans from immigrant families, you could ask their parents, “What was your home country like? How is it different from here? What do you miss about it?”
About the Author
Jacqueline Sullivan
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow creative arts tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: