We hear a lot of talk about achievement gaps these days, and rightfully so. America has only grown more diverse, but the gaps have barely closed at all. When we discuss achievement gaps, we need to understand that they’re more than just percentages on a screen. The gaps we see in achievement for different groups of students are just symptoms…
Category: Equity
Want to Close Achievement Gaps? Know Why They Exist in the First Place
There’s a sad reality in our education system today: Some students just don’t do as well as others. I realize I’m not breaking news here, but the fact that there’s such a disparity between students from poor families and communities and students from solid middle-class families is bad for everyone. The fact that minority students historically fall far behind their…
What Teachers Can and Can’t Learn From ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Author J.D. Vance
In his provocative memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” author J.D. Vance describes his childhood upbringing in Middletown, Ohio. Heavily influenced by his family’s Kentucky roots and their “hillbilly culture,” Vance uses his firsthand experiences with poverty to argue that these Appalachian, working-class values have ultimately impacted rural communities for the worse. That’s the…
Students Don’t Need ‘Saviors,’ They Need Effective Teachers
Until I had my first international experience, I didn’t have a race. Or at least, I didn’t know I did. It was when I returned home from a summer of living, studying and working with students in Latin America that I realized how flawed my understanding was of race in education. My teacher education courses and professional practice provided opportunities…