Closing the Educational Achievement Gap

design, which sets low expectations for certain students and widens the disparity in their achievements. Additionally, schools prioritize sports over academic opportunities like STEM and technology courses. Unequal resource allocation further exacerbates this issue; gifted programs are underrepresented while special education programs are overrepresented (English, Lambert, and Ialongo, 2016). Consequently, these students face limited access to college gateway courses, impeding their chances of pursuing higher education.

According to Sibley et al. (2016), the lack of effective teachers and support for high aspirations has led to minimal achievement in the education system. This hinders the system's ability to help all students succeed in higher education, which prevents the development of a diverse workforce and engaged citizenry with necessary skills in an increasingly challenging world.

In addition, the teaching and learning process is not properly structured, particularly disadvantaging African American learners. The curriculum provided by the education system fails to be culturally responsive and rigorous enough to meet student needs, ultimately resulting in reduced familiarity with the taught material.

The district leadership's failure to support schools in their mission to promote high achievement among learners and guide practices and policies has created a need for increased external support. Such support could help foster unity and address the achievement gap. The presence of poverty, family problems, racial discrimination, and ethnicity has hindered African American students from receiving the necessary mutual support needed for focused learning. Consequently, these challenges have had adverse effects on their academic, psychological, and social well-being, resulting in decreased enthusiasm and aspirations. Additionally, these issues also impede the involvement of families and communities in students' academic pursuits.

The absence of parental involvement results in a lack of the partnership

and support that encourage students to put in more effort. Public schools were initially not designed to accommodate the diverse range of students they currently serve. These systems have not been assessed or appraised to ascertain their efficacy in narrowing the achievement gap. The nationwide prevalence of unequal academic performance between African American and white students persists.

There is a prevalent pattern of decreased academic success among African-American students in high school, middle school, and elementary school when compared to their white counterparts. This distinction has substantial implications post-graduation as it becomes difficult for black students to complete high school or continue their education due to poor academic achievement. In today's society, obtaining a quality education is crucial for individuals to obtain higher-paying jobs and a stable income. The days when dropping out of school and finding well-compensated employment were feasible choices are no longer viable (Hipp, 2012).

Competition in education has resulted in the need for attending college and obtaining high grades, which can distinguish individuals and improve their chances of obtaining limited, well-paying job opportunities. This is especially important for African American students who often encounter social barriers due to their lower incomes resulting from inadequate academic performance. It is crucial to bridge the achievement gap among African Americans as it would lead to increased wages and reduced disparities in society and the economy. Various initiatives have been implemented to address the issue of low achievement among African American students, such as introducing voucher programs in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Florida.

Research findings suggest that black students who are given vouchers and choose to attend private schools perform better academically compared to their counterparts who do not

receive vouchers and instead go to public schools. However, it appears that the academic performance of white students is not significantly impacted by the type of institution they attend. Therefore, it is imperative for researchers to analyze the specific strategies implemented by these schools in order to determine which students benefit the most (Pitt, 2013). In response to these educational concerns, reformers have introduced various models such as Edison schools, direct instruction, success for all with an emphasis on practical application, America's choice, and the 'modern red school house'.

All these reforms aim to alter the instruction and curriculum in schools, as well as modify teaching methods and school organization. The evaluation of these models has specifically concentrated on schools with socioeconomically disadvantaged students and students of color. The Success for All program, established by Robert and Madden in 1987, has demonstrated substantial academic advancements among African American students enrolled in the program. Similarly, the SAGE program (Students Achieving Guaranteed Education) implemented in Wisconsin has yielded comparable outcomes, with African American students surpassing their white peers academically (Sibley et al.).

In 2016, research indicated that various factors such as ethnicity, race, family background, socioeconomic status, and quality of education affect the academic performance and achievement of students. To address this gap in academic achievement, it is crucial to analyze and tackle these social elements through strong interventions. By helping African American students maintain the same level of focus and dedication in their academic work as their white peers, we can achieve a balanced level of academic success. This study emphasizes the importance of balancing the social lives of African American students for optimal academic achievement (Bailey and

Dziko, 2008).

Addressing these factors properly will not only eliminate the achievement gap of African American students, but also tackle other societal issues like unemployment. It will be challenging to undermine the segregation that benefits white individuals and marginalizes African Americans as inferior. Closing the achievement gap will increase the influence and bargaining power of the African American community.

References

1. Bailey, M. H., ; Dziko, T. M. (2008). A plan to close the achievement gap for African American students. African American Achievement Gap Report, 1-92.
2. Chubb, J.

E., and Loveless, T. (Eds.). (2004). Bridging the achievement gap. Brookings Institution Press.

F. and Ialongo, N. S. (2016) explored the relationship between racial discrimination, depressive symptoms, and academic performance in African Americans. Their study titled "Adding to the education debt: depressive symptoms mediate the association between racial discrimination and academic performance in African Americans" was published in the Journal of school psychology [57, 29-40]. Another relevant researcher in this field is Hipp, J. L.

(2012). The Achievement Gap from the Student's Perspective. Morris, E. W., ; Perry, B.

L. (2016). The Punishment Gap: School Suspension and Racial Disparities in Achievement. Social Problems, 63(1), 68-86.

Peterson, E. R., Rubie-Davies, C., Osborne, D., & Sibley, C. (2016).

Teachers' explicit expectations and implicit prejudiced attitudes to educational achievement can influence student achievement and contribute to the ethnic achievement gap (Learning and Instruction, 42, 123-140).

Further studies have explored the impact of racial socialization and racial identity on academic achievement in adolescent African American males (Pitt, R., 2013).

Additionally, Robinson, L. R. (2016) examines the achievement gap and the integration of schools from a black and white perspective.

There is ongoing research in the U.S. focusing on these issues.

The National Center

for Education Statistics, Department of Education, published the Digest of Education Statistics 2012 (NCES 2014–015), Chapter 3.