The gap between those who have and those who do not
continues to grow. It separates the rest of society’s chances to get access to
the best education. Ultimately the outcome of the socioeconomic disparity is
growth in the achievement gap. The future is affected by every student that is
sitting in class disenchanted with the education that they are receiving. The
future of education is now. While some say standardized testing provides good
information to change a failing school others say it is a distraction to the
learning process. Some teachers are forced to teach to the test and this does
not result a better school. Principals
and teachers jobs are lost based on test scores. Educators and parents need to make a serious
effort to close the achievement gap by working together.
Some say there is a lack of parent involvement. Parents face
many socioeconomic challenges that limit their participation. It takes a whole
community working together to build a bridge that connects the children to the
right education experience. If you live in a state where early childhood
education is not supported your children’s chances of reading at grade level is
limited. It’s time to close the achievement gap today by improving education
all along the K12 experience. Too many school districts are fighting an uphill
battle to survive. In subsequent
paragraphs you will find suggestion for closing the achievement gap.
Bold School
Leadership
Some school districts are constantly unstable which causes a
crisis in leadership. Principals across school districts are added and removed
throughout the school year. Some principal’s don’t know what teachers will work
in their build during the school year.
Teachers may change from one year to the next. A person may be trained
for leadership but they need consistency among their teachers to organize an
effective school. If the principal and teachers are working together a lot can
be accomplished and students can earn better grades. It can also help to reduce
the achievement gap because the students have the same teachers throughout the
school year. I have heard about one school
that had three math teachers in one
year. You cannot expect a child to learn
with that kind of instability.
Effective leadership on the part of a principal can help to
close some of the doors that limit a student’s ability to go to college. All
principals that work at schools in each city need to regularly come together
and think of solutions that they can implement. The principals must be united
in to see better outcomes for the children who are in their school district.
The student should have an awareness that their principal has a plan to improve
how they perform. Principals must know that they must sacrifice their time and continually
gain more knowledge to make their school the best that it can be.
Absenteeism
To close the achievement gap a written and measurable plan
must be followed in order to reduce student
absenteeism. There are a number of issues that plague students who are
frequently absent. These students often face adverse health issues, some
students have persistent problems with asthma or stress that cause students to
be more susceptible to sicknesses. There
may be abuse going on in their home and it has not been investigated. A significant number of students are no
longer interested in school and there are no parents at home who can inspire
them to excel while in school.
Every effort must be made to overcome the challenges of
decreasing the amount of student absenteeism.
There should be an assessment of the patterns of absenteeism that exists
in certain neighborhoods. The data can
be used to come up with new strategies to resolve issues that absent students
face and each day. Getting students to attend school is important because the
research says that when students don’t show up for school their grades are
affected. This student can easily become disillusioned with school and dropout.
School districts must find more creative
ways to catch up with students and their parents to offer them solutions. It
takes a team effort to send a message to families that you want their child to
succeed in school. School districts must be aware that some parents are on the
move in terms of their place of residence throughout the school year. Most parents want their children in school
every day but moving to survive affects their child’s attendance. There must be
an easy process for a child to transfer to a new school.
There must be many communication access points to keep the
school district informed about a child’s absenteeism issues. Some schools have a call in telephone number
in place on their website or a parent can call and talk to someone live. Some
parents may use a library to communicate with the school over the Internet. Effective communication may take time when a parent
moves to a new neighborhood. The best results will come with the school
districts that have multiple ways to communicate regarding student absenteeism.
The school district must have a plan that will address the absenteeism issue while
also helping students to be motivated about attending school.
Health Issues
One cannot ignore the health issues that often plague
students who are in the United States. Students suffer issues like asthma,
diabetes and teen pregnancy to name a few. All of these issues can contribute
to the gap in the academic achievement of the students. These students may end
up in an emergency room prior to a test and they may feel out of it when they
do retain return to school to take their test. Depending on the illness it may
take several days to get back to school. If the student does not have a
computer at home they must have parents who can help them to get their
assignments. A good student may turn in
an assignment late due to their illness. Parents who have children with several
health issues can feel overwhelmed.
There needs to be a citywide coordinated effort to respond
to health issues that are happening in the community. When a young person has a
baby it can hinder her ability to continue school unless there is a health
advocate in place to help the student. She could be a student who had good
grades before the pregnancy. She should not be penalized. Schools should not
count her as a loss because she cannot return to school right away. Educators should always find multiple ways
that a student can return school. There must be a coordinated effort with the
school nurse and other public health agencies. There should be a health plan in place so that
the principal has the help that they need with the students who have health
issues.
Each month parents need information about health solutions and
other resources. It is better to help parents to take a preventative approach
to healthcare rather than awaiting the next crisis. A lot students do not have
the right glasses some parents do not have enough money to take care of their need
for new glasses. The Philadelphia Eagles football team has a
bright idea they have their own truck with doctors who the provide glasses for
children. We need to make a big investment in how our children’s health is
monitored and resolved. Closing the
achievement gap must include a healthcare
plan that works.
Parent Engagement
The socioeconomic condition of parents is an ongoing factor
in the expansion of the achievement gap. There are economic factors such as
income inequality and homes where there is only one income coming that limits a
parents aspirations for their child.
Some parents may remember their own experience with their local school
and decide that their participation will not make a difference. They do not
realize that they are their child’s first teacher. Spending time communicating
with their child is more work but is worth the investment. A student whose parent is reading to their
child every day significantly at
increases their chances for success.
It is important to consider how to close the achievement gap
as an ongoing part of the school plan. In order to succeed there must be
several different ways to get parents involved in schools academic life. My
suggestion is finding ways to meet parents where they are. For example the
school principal should consider all of the events where parents typically show
up. It can be exporting event, a school play or something is happening at a
community center. This may require more time but is it worth the investment.
This is a signal to the local community that the principal and the teachers at
a particular school really care about how well the students perform.
This is the day to get started with new ideas and programs
to get parents excited about their role at their child’s school. You want to
get all the parents involved in some way. There could be a conference call,
workshop or online chat about things that are happening at the school. Identify
a parent who is very committed to talk to school administrators and teachers
and get them involved in all the parent initiatives. Another approach would be
getting one parent from each class to participate in the Parent Taecvher
Association (PTA). If this happens you
will have a significant level of participation throughout your school. There is
a possibility that you could have 30 to 40 parents involved. If you get one parent from each class you are
increasing your parent engagement and changing the school environment. This
will be a great strategy for close the achievement gap because parents could be
an active part of their student’s success.
Summary
Closing the achievement gap will require innovative
leadership and a commitment to changing how students learn. The principal at a
school must find a creative way to address multiple issues. Students should
know that they are welcome in the school and that they can benefit from
instruction that is happening throughout the day. We cannot continue to allow
the achievement gap to expand. This is time for the entire American community
to come together to address a crisis issue. There needs to be more than a
national dialogue about closing the achievement gap this is a time for action.
The future is in our hands now and we have an opportunity to expose students to
the new careers that can change the socio-economic conditions of students who
graduate from high school or who pursue
a post secondary education .
Dr. Stephen Jones is an education advocate and consultant
who has published three books the Seven Secrets of How to Study, the Parent’s
Ultimate Education Guide and the Ultimate Scholarship Guide at
http://www.DrStephenJones.net
or Learn@DrStephenJones.net.
