Why a Huge Achiement Gap? Who is to Blame?

We must tackle the achievement gap that exists among students with our eyes wide open and with true honesty.

I have been teaching for twenty four years, during those years I have seen and observed a lot. Some good and some very bad. There is one subject that still baffles me to this day. The achievement gap that exists among students is a huge problem in my opinion that must be addressed. Whose fault is it? Playing the blaming game will not solve this problem. What must be done is to look for solutions for a very complex situation.

Firstly. what role does a school district play in coming up with a plausible solution? I believe a school district should provide training for parents on the importance of parent involvement. Studies have shown time and time again, students that consistently do well are those whose parents are very much involved in their child education. Over the years I have seen the amount spent on teacher training, but very little is being done to help parents understand that their involvement is crucial . I do believe every parent would love to see their child do well, but unfortunately not all parents understand fully why it is important to be involved in their child 's education.

Secondly, what role does the principal play? Good leadership in a school is very important. The principal sets the tone, he or she must be willing to survey the needs with objectivity. The high school where I have been teaching for the past three years has a very interesting history. It is two high schools in one. There is the regular program and there is the IB program. There is a huge achievement gap between the regular students and the students who are in International Baccalaureate . Why is that? The principal for the past two years is the worst administrator I have ever come across. He is simply deplorable. The IB students excel in everything while the regular students are allowed to ditch class and roam the halls. Many students failed my class because of too many absences. This is truly very sad, because the students are allowed to get away with murder due to lack of oversight and vision which should come from the principal. On the other hand, the IB students continue to do well because they have the support of parents and the administration. What ever the IB parents want they get. It is a total outrage this type of thing can go on. I call it the prejudice of low expectations. To sum it up, the parents don't care, they are very apathetic; consequently the principal figures why should he care. Thankfully, in my twenty four years as an educator he is the first administrator I have ever come across with such character. I will be going to a new school next year, not because I chose to ,but because the principal did not like me . I opted to do what is moral and set high standards for all students. I made phone calls to parents, counseled with students and parents about ditching class, all to no avail. In the end I was labeled too hard of a teacher. I believe a teacher must have enough integrity to require of his or her students to live up to standards that will help them become productive citizens. The prejudice of low expectations would dictate for me to let these students get away with not coming to class and still pass. That is why the other French teacher did not lose her job but I did. The good news is I will be teaching in a school where the principal is known for his excellent leadership. I can't wait to start the new school year.

Thirdly, I believe parents must have an active voice. They must be totally engaged. They should monitor their children at home to make sure homework is done in a timely manner, they must be aware of their children's study habits. All of these things come into play for a child to be successful . Too many parents hand over their children to a school and expect the school to do everything. Parents have a lot of power, make no mistake about it, if the parents of my former school took a stand I guarantee you the principal could not get away with letting the students ditch as much as they do. The same is true if a teacher is not doing his or her job. I remember when my youngest was in the six grade , he started getting really bad grades in math. This was very unusual because he is very advanced in math. In fact , he was taking the more advanced math. After investigating the situation, it became very clear that the teacher was a racist. Additionally, she was in the habit of losing kid's papers and giving them an "F" . A group of parents got together went to the principal and complained. Before too long the teacher was removed.

Fourthly, community involvement would be a great asset too. Would it not be grand for an individual who has the time to volunteer a few hours a week to help those students with extra need? How about capable senior citizens who are in good health? What is wrong with them giving up a few hours a week too? I think sometimes we look for complicated ways to resolve life's challenges, when most of the time a simple solution is staring at us square in the face.

Lastly, I believe as responsible citizens we owe it to the future generations to really take a second look as to why in a country as great as ours, there still exists a huge achievement gap between students. We can't continue to ignore this problem, we must not rest until we have at least made an attempt to come up with a solution. we must change our priorities. We must not allow sportstive activities to be more important than studying or spending time reading a good book. . I see too many students who come to class dead tired because they played a game the night before and got home too late. Or perhaps , too many students unable to complete homework assignments because of late games . There is nothing wrong with playing sports, but when it is more important than academics , that is a huge problem.

In closing, I believe it will take parents, teachers, administrators and community to get likeminded in order to see a major change in the achievement gap between students. We must come together as one unit with one goal in mind or else we will fail. Feeling sorry for students and giving them a passing grade is not the solution. I have seen that happen too many times. The final verdict is these students go on to college without the proper skills and they eventually drop out and become unproductive citizens. May we all be willing to reconsider and move toward finding a solution for the sake of all children.