Achievement Gaps
Editor’s Note
Articles on this page examine ways that educators are addressing well-known, persistent achievement gaps between subgroups of students in the U.S. by race, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Included in this topic are articles about research into the underlying causes of achievement gaps and ways that differences in background and culture can affect student performance in school.—C.T.C.
Bonding and Bridging
Schools open doors for students by building social capital
Three years ago, J. Michael Wyss, a cell biology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, entered G. W. Carver High School and derailed Curtis Jones’ life plan. Wyss, who is also the director of the university’s Center for Community OutReach Development, needed an intern for a research project. Continue
Recent Research on the Achievement Gap
An interview with Ronald Ferguson on how lifestyle factors and classroom culture affect black-white differences
For more than a decade, economist Ronald Ferguson has studied achievement gaps. In 2002, he created the Tripod Project for School Improvement, a professional developmentinitiative that uses student and teacher surveys to measure classroom conditions and student engagement by race and gender. Continue
Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools
An Interview with Karin Chenoweth
In her new book, How It’s Being Done: Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools, Chenoweth visits eight new schools with a significant number of low-income students and students of color and reveals just how these educators are achieving their success. Continue
Related Articles
Closing the Achievement Gap with Extended Learning Time
A voluntary program in Massachusetts takes root in city schools
Bridging the PreK–Elementary Divide
Concerns about early achievement gaps prompt programs that link prekindergarten with elementary school
How Racial Identity Affects School Performance
A Harvard professor connects research on race and schooling to his experiences as a student and father
Charting a New Course toward Racial Integration
Districts seek legal routes to capture the benefits of diversity
The “Quiet” Troubles of Low-Income Children
From Literacy to Learning
An interview with Catherine Snow on vocabulary, comprehension, and the achievement gap
The School Readiness Gap
Prekindergarten—not just preschool—may be the key to narrowing disparities in achievement by race, ethnicity, and income
Finding High-Achieving Schools in Unexpected Places
An interview with Karin Chenoweth
Wanted: Better Ninth-Grade Teachers
Concern over graduation rates has schools rethinking teacher assignments
Bonding and Bridging
Schools open doors for students by building social capital
Urgent Lessons from Unexpected Schools
An Interview with Karin Chenoweth
Beyond the Gap
What educators and researchers are learning from high-achieving African American and Latino students
Out-of-School Programs Boost Achievement, Study Finds
Latino Achievement
How to Close the Gap
Transition Programs for Retained Students
Segregation or Salvation?
