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Diagnosing the Problem
As Palardy (2015) shows, first grade is where the achievement gap begins to develop among students. Ferrer et al. (2015) show that the achievement gap begins in first grade and persists well into adolescence: in order to address the achievement gap, the best step is to take preventive measures. This action research study plans to address the problem of the achievement gap by getting first graders to focus on reading and get them interested in reading by following the recommendation of Moses and Kelly (2018), which is to condition young learners to love reading by continuously promoting it in a favorable and positive light. In other words, by socializing reading and using child-centered teaching methods (Kikas, Pakarinen, Soodla, Peets & Lerkkanen, 2017; Moses & Kelly, 2018), first grade teachers can help to close the achievement gap.
The study setting is my first grade classroom. This setting was chosen because first grade has been identified as the grade level at which the achievement gap begins to appear (Palardy, 2015). It was also chosen because I am a first grade teacher and have direct access to and interaction with students of this grade level. The problem is that the achievement gap...
The impact of diversity on this problem is that, as Ferrer et al. (2015) point out, minority students tend to be the ones who suffer most from the achievement gap.
The purpose of this study is to test the recommendation of Moses and Kelly (2018) to see if by promoting and socializing reading in a positive and consistent manner over the course of the first grade year all students, regardless of their ethnic or socio-economic background can adopt positive views of reading, establish favorite authors and types of books, choose reading as a the preferred way to recreate as opposed to other activities, make reading part of their social interactions, and demonstrate comprehension skills in line with or above their reading level.
All students from the first grade level and up could benefit from the findings of this study because it could show that by addressing reading promotion early on in the educative experience of young learners the achievement gap problem can be more effectively addressed, as reading is such a core aspect of learning.
The baseline data that informs this project is that “black-white gaps” in learning begin…
The achievement gap also may ultimately negatively affect the U.S. As it may cause the nation to become less competitive in the increasingly global communities (What is the…, 2009). In addition, research indicates that the achievement gap contributes to students who more likely grow up to be unemployed, incarcerated, and poor. Consequently, a quality education proves critical for Black children (Elder, ¶ 3). Causes Contributing to Achievement Gap Causes contributing to
four-day school week means that kids have a longer school day during the days in which they are in the classroom. I feel that the school day is already too long as it is. I would like to see the number of hours in which kids are in school mandatorily reduced by half. Kids who want to stay after and partake of additional schooling may do so, with teachers
There is also the question of what approach should be used in a given setting. For instance, Lewis-Moreno points out that, "A great deal of energy is expended selecting and defending the model used: Should it be late- or early-exit bilingual, dual language, or English immersion?" (2007, p. 773). Although complex problems require complex solutions, a common theme that runs through the relevant literature concerns the need to use
Black-White Achievement Gap As recently as 1998, the press was reporting that African-Americans score lower than European-Americans on vocabulary, reading, and math skills tests in general, as well as on standardized tests claiming to measure scholastic aptitude and intelligence. Although the gap had narrowed somewhat after 1970, the American black child still scored lower than whites, as much as 15% lower. Despite abundant speculation and a wealth of research, no one
Introduction There is much to be said about the achievement gap. Indeed, there is an alarming chasm between top performers and many others that are further down the scoring and achievement spectrum. The most disturbing part of the problem is that the gaps are often along income, racial and other pronounced socioeconomic lines. As with any other problem, there are possible interventions that can be used to curtail and prevent this
Differentiated Instruction and Closing the Achievement Gap It is not always easy to see how differentiated instruction is able to initiate an advantage in schools that are performing extremely low or how it could help in closing the achievement gap. On the other hand, research done by experts show something different. Research has been taking a look at schools that have been on the AYP list and achieving results that are