Educational attainment gaps between white and non-white populations

Educational Gap Between Whites and People of Color

In modern America, education plays a critical role in the provision of opportunities for individuals to move up the social ladder. Anderson and Taylor (2010) posit that education is a critical component of social mobility. It allows persons to access better paying jobs and thus the more education an individual possesses the more likely they are to escape the ravages of poverty and create wealth. Thus as a value acquiring an education has become the mantra of most if not all politicians and societal leaders. Because of educations pivotal role it is therefore critical that any structures and policies that impede the educational progress of citizens be given generous consideration. The observed gap between whites and people of color for all indicators of education is consequently a major concern. There are multiple reasons for the gap and these reasons along with suggested fixes will be explored in this essay. The educational gap between whites and persons of color is both structural and institutional in nature; however, it can be bridged through the appropriate policies and interventions.

If one considers the historical antecedents of the problem at present in particular the history that slavery has bequeath to persons of color it becomes easier to understand some of the structural elements of the gap. Slaves were not considered worthy of education in a society where education was reserved for the privileged and thus the few. The Jim Crow laws that limited the access of people of color to libraries and other places of learning were an present problem (Hamlet, 2010). The situation was one where both through policy and law blacks were denied access to education this was particularly in the south. The few blacks who did receive and education did so at the peril of severe punitive measures. For persons of color access to education at this time was virtually nonexistent. Thus, even in post slavery America there was a gap in the education of whites and persons of color. Attempts were made to bridge the gap using legislative means however while the legislative means could guarantee access to classrooms and teachers. It could not redress the elements of racism within the wider population that created social conditions that made learning difficult.

The challenge posed by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 demonstrated another facet of the problem and the structural challenges faced by persons of color to receive an equivalent educational experience (Brunner, & Haney 2007). The ruling of the Supreme Court in this case declared that the practice of segregation in schools was unconstitutional. The court also supported equality of treatment as a right and not a privilege. This landmark decision meant that persons of color would now legally have access to the same schools as whites. The question of access is critical since under the mechanism of equal but separate while persons of color were given schools to attend. The schools were usually poorly funded, and had limited facilities.

Under the conditions of limited funding and poorer facilities, it was apparent that the children who attended these schools would do worse than children attending schools at other venues. White schools therefore were given better-qualified teachers and better physical plants and amenities. When this is added to the problem of starting from behind the gap begins to widen even further. The colored community benefitted immensely from Brown vs. Board of education because they were now able to have legal access to the same schools as white students.

However, legal access is not the same as social acceptance. While the courts could declare that students had legal access to the schools, they were unwanted socially. In many schools students of color experienced rabid racism and discrimination. So that while white and colored students attended the same physical plant or school their experiences were vastly different. There were two schools on the same plant and the social experience of students of color was such that it influenced their performance. This is not to suggest that some students of color did not excel or do well; on the contrary, these exceptions demonstrate where the mean is and show that in the main students suffered and underperformed in these schools.

The "achievement gap" as it is called has been researched quite extensively and there are a number of factors that are proposed are being responsible for the magnitude of the gap (Achievement gap, 2002). These factors include but are not restricted to; race and ethnicity, the digital divide, teacher quality, curriculum issues, standardized testing, television consumption, the educational level of parents and the parenting behaviors. Each of these factors work in combination to produce the achievement gap, consequently they will be considered in sequence. Before the factors are explored, it will be useful to consider the size of the gap.

Firstly, for the age group 18-24 around 90% of white students have finished high school or earned an equivalent degree. This is compared with only 81% for persons of color. This is nine-point difference between the completion rates. If the situation is evaluated before high school, the picture is equally stark as white children are more likely to have higher scores on the standardized tests, than students of color, and they are less likely to drop out of school (Achievement gap 2002). The reality is that by the time both sets of students get to kindergarten students of color are already behind their white counterparts. The gap widens in high school and finally by the age of 29 a student of color has half the chance as a white student of earning a bachelor's degree. The divide begins early in life and continues to widen, as the students get older. This illustrates that life chances and opportunities will be less for students of color than for white students.

A consideration will be given at this point to the factors that assist singularly and in combination to produce the achievement gap. The central conception here is that some of these factors can operate by themselves to lessen a student of color chances within the education system. The reality however, is that most of these factors work in tandem with other factors thus magnifying the effect and exacerbating an already difficult situation. This speaks to the challenge of bridging the divide since attempts to remedy the problem have to use a multifaceted approach because the problem straddles social, structural, and economic institutions. At the end of a consideration of the factors, a brief assessment will be given of the future of the achievement gap based on existing trends.

Since the focus is on ethnicity and race, this is the first factor that will be considered, all other factors work in harmony with ethnicity and race to produce a wider divide. As demonstrated previously simply being a person of color is problematic. This is not because of genetic or biological factors but because of structural constraints that have historically limited the access of persons of color to education. The system of zoning students for school attendance disproportionately affects students of color because they are more likely to live in areas where the schools are poor. The schools lack adequate resources and the environment of the school is not conducive to learning or teaching. The students who attend such schools understand the social implications of the schools and are painfully aware that very little is expected of them.

The question of low expectations is not only from the students but also from the teachers. Weissglass () suggests that racism functions in the school system in such a manner that teachers are often believers in the stereotypes advanced about black students. The teachers have low expectations of the students and in turn transmit these low expectations either verbally or through a host of non-verbal cues. The students feed into these cues and they perform in concert with the expectations. This is another way in which simply being a person on color has an effect on the achievement gap. This is not a question of intelligence or ability but rather the unconscious and possibly conscious functioning of covert racist leanings. It should be noted that the prevalence of these stereotypes in the media might make it easier for this type of thinking to take place. Teachers are part of the wider societal structure and are influenced by machinations of the mass media.

The socioeconomic status (SES) of a person of color has a relationship to their position within the social structure and to their life chances. Anderson & Taylor (2010) note that an individual's SES is a function of their income or wealth, occupational prestige and education. It is therefore in this regard that SES is a most potent determining factor because it determines educational opportunities and is determined by education. This essentially means that it is has a multiplier effect and creates a situation where persons who come from homes where their SES is low will have limited opportunities to attend the schools that can raise their SES. They will in turn pass on that legacy to their own children. Since that is the general rule and principle, why does it affect persons of color more fiercely?

Persons of color are disproportionately represented in the low strata of the SE ladder. Amongst the poor persons of color have higher percentages and are more likely to exist in extreme poverty. Since SES determines where you live to a large extent, and where you live will determine the schools to which your children can attend. Then SES becomes a limiting factor because person whose household income is low will live in government housing and may be on some government support program. These persons will also have their children attend schools within these communities' schools where there is high teacher absenteeism, poor results on standardized testing and generally poor conditions (Lee, 2002). Again, in this regard persons of color are over represented. So that a being a person of color with low SES you are very likely to not have access to quality education and there is an exacerbation of an already trying situation.

A lot of heavy weather has been made of the effect and projected effect of the digital divide. The reference to the digital divide relates to access to the internet, computers and other communicative devices with a microchip. The movement of much of the course content onto the internet and its supporting structures ensures that there is a widening inequality between those who have access and those who do not. At its most basic the initial separation takes place at the level of access to the internet and cloud computing. There are schools where the students are given computers and have ready access to internet facilities. These facilities are in the main provided through some wireless form of access. These schools pride themselves of being on the cutting edge of learning.

Within the school itself a significant part of the curriculum is delivered through the internet and assignments are turned in through a similar manner using the resources of cloud computing. Textbooks are made available digitally and tutorials are managed online. The extent of online computing at schools is such that students who fail to have internet access at home are placed in a disadvantageous position and will be trailing their colleagues in the class. It is important to underscore that this is not a question of intelligence or mental agility. It is simply a question of access to internet services. Students who have will have an advantage over those who do not have.

The access to internet services is also a function of one SES. Persons of higher incomes are able to acquire the relevant technology to have in their homes. This complements what is done in the schools. The children of these persons live in a digital world while others are on the outside looking in. Since SES differentiates access to internet facilities and persons of color are, overrepresented in the lower strata they are more likely to not go to schools with a progressive computer integration program and not have access at home. These persons will experience reduced achievement in educational pursuits. The gap is therefore widened by the digital divide.

Teacher quality is another issue that facilitates the widening of the achievement gap. Teachers are the backbone of any education system. Teachers are critical to the success of the schools and the impartation of quality education. The teacher in the school system functions more than simply to impart knowledge but the teacher is a mentor and an inspiration to many students. At this first level of mentor and inspiration, there are fewer teachers of color than there should be given the numbers of persons of color in the population. Therefore, students of color attending schools have a limited number of role models. Additionally, white teachers who have had a complete different experience from their charges of color are not always sympathetic to the challenges of students of color. Weissglass (2006) posits that white teachers often misinterpret the concerns of students of color as illegitimate and consider the students overly sensitive (p.269). What this means is that the relationship between the teacher and the student is compromised and student confidence in the teacher may be limited thus stunting the desire by the student to perform as they are not receiving adequate inspiration from the teacher.

Teachers also contribute to the problem by being poor teachers. This means that the teachers are not adequately trained to deliver the curriculum in a manner that is consistent with high quality teaching. These teachers may pass the rigorous testing system to become a teacher but after a while may experience burnout and they are just in it for a paycheck. This burnout phenomenon is quite common in teachers who operate in high stress situations (Kyriacou, & Sutcliffe 1978). Inner city schools and schools in areas where there is a high population of persons of color have conditions that are highly conducive to teacher burnout. Consequently, the level and quality of the teaching that occurs at these institutions will widen the achievement divide. The students will not do well when compared to their cohorts at a national level and even statewide.

Parents have a comparable responsibility for the success of students in their school years. There are some specific concerns that affect families of color in a disproportionate manner that will create an additional ripple effect on the achievement gap. In single parent families that are of low SES, there is little time to attend to the issues of learning and schooling. This may not be a demonstration of a lack of concern but rather a clear indicator of the challenges of these parents to put food on the table. This need to survive causes many single parents in these strata to work multiple jobs and they are unavailable to assist in schooling activities. Many of these children are latch key children and are left unsupervised for significant periods. The children may often not attend school as frequently, and when they do attend, they are not actively engaged in the classroom activities.