The Answer Sheet: achievement gap


Posted at 05:30 AM ET, 01/28/2011

On this we should agree
By Valerie Strauss
A health expert writes that while there isn’t likely to be peace in the education world over charter schools and standardized testing, on this everyone should agree: The need to focus attention on disparities among our youth in education and in health.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:30 AM ET, 01/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  achievement gap, anxiety-related behaviors, anxiety-related disorders, effects of poverty, environment and schools, health disparities, indian suicide rates, native american suicide rates, poverty and education, public health services, suicide rates

Posted at 12:05 PM ET, 01/21/2011

How Teach for America sees itself
By Valerie Strauss
Here, from the Teach for America website, is a detailed job posting that explains a lot about how the organization sees itself in the world of school reform.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:05 PM ET, 01/21/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap | Tags:  achievement gap, closing achievement gap, leadership for educational equity, michelle rhee, teach for america, teach for america job posting, teach for america jobs

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 12/21/2010

How a teachers' union actually helped kids (not just adults)
By Valerie Strauss
You've probably heard a lot about how teacher unions are obstacles to meaningful school reforms, but you probably have NOT heard about this remarkable union-involved success story in California.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 12/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody | Tags:  academic performance index, achievement gap, api, california schools, california teachers association, qeia, standardized tests, teachers union

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 12/06/2010

Willingham: Close to a magic bullet in education
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes about something that he says may come as close to being a magic bullet in education as anything.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 12/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap | Tags:  achievement gap, daniel willingham, education research, gender gap, school reform

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 12/03/2010

Was achievement gap understated?
By Valerie Strauss
An education analyst writes that a graph released by government underestimates the achievement gap on the latest 12th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 12/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap | Tags:  achievement gap, bluegrass institute, education statistics, naep, national assessment of educational progress, nces

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/03/2010

Time to pay attention to a reform that works
By Valerie Strauss
There’s an education reform strategy that has 50 years of solid research behind it, with proven results that demonstrate how to improve student achievement. It’s. a solution backed by both political parties to help narrow the achievement gap, increase high school graduation rates and reduce crime and delinquency. So why don't we focus on it like a laser beam?

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  achievement gap, early childhood education, kindergarten, pre-k, pre-kindergarten

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/02/2010

Is progress in Florida schools exaggerated?
By Valerie Strauss
Florida’s public school system is frequently held up as an exemplary example of how specific school reforms -- vouchers, charter schools, on-line schooling, high-stakes standardized tests, etc. -- can improve student achievement. But things aren't always what they seem.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Accountability, Accountability, Accountability | Tags:  achievement gap, charter schools, florida, florida's schools, jeb bush, school reform, vouchers

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 11/26/2010

Report on college attendance crisis for black males exaggerated
By Valerie Strauss
The education crisis for African-American males is a serious concern, but, as one education activist, we shouldn't make it worse than it actually is. One piece of data that recently became big news was widely misunderstood.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 11/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap, Achievement gap | Tags:  achievement gap, african-american males, attendance crisis, black males, college attendance and african american males

Posted at 11:38 AM ET, 11/22/2010

The social cost to academic achievement -- Willingham
By Daniel Willingham
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham asks and answers: "Is there a social cost to academic achievement?"

By Daniel Willingham  |  11:38 AM ET, 11/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap, Achievement gap | Tags:  academic and ethnic, achievement gap, daniel willingham, john ogbu, social cost to academic achievement

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 11/22/2010

How to help African-American males in school: Treat them like gifted students
By Valerie Strauss
The way to help African-American males in school is for teachers to do for them what works for gifted students: Develop their strengths.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 11/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap, Achievement gap | Tags:  SAT scores, achievement gap, african-american males, black males, council of great city schools, national urban alliance, schools

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 11/20/2010

The Matthew Effect, Plinko, and the achievement gap
By Valerie Strauss
The argument for integration of low-income students into more affluent schools is that it offers an opportunity to level the playing field and provide high expectations to students who are not traditionally held to the same schooling standards as the white upper and middle class. However, as a Black male who attended Montgomery County Public Schools for high school, I am not convinced that a culture of high expectations extends beyond honors, AP, and IB classrooms.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:00 AM ET, 11/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Achievement gap, Achievement gap | Tags:  achievement gap, brain development, brain research, closing achievement gap, guest bloggers, plinko, the Matthew Effect, the matthew effect

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 11/09/2010

Schools in a banana republic
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Anthony Cody takes a hard look at how today's economy is affecting public school students.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 11/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody, Anthony Cody | Tags:  achievement gap, anthony cody, guest bloggers, poverty, school reform

Posted at 09:45 AM ET, 11/01/2010

Teacher apologizes for achievement gap: 'My fault'
By Valerie Strauss
An eighth grade Earth sciences teacher, surrounded by family and friends, tearfully admits that the achievement gap is his fault. Yes, it's fake news. You'll laugh and cry.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:45 AM ET, 11/01/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  achievement gap, fake news, teachers

Posted at 09:17 AM ET, 10/17/2010

Rothstein: Why teacher quality can't be only centerpiece of reform
By Valerie Strauss
Richard Rothstein on the Klein/Rhee manifesto: "Making teacher quality the only centerpiece of a reform campaign distracts our attention from other equally and perhaps more important school areas needing improvement, areas such as leadership, curriculum, and practices of collaboration.... ut most important, making teacher quality the focus distracts us from the biggest threat to student achievement in the current age: our unprecedented economic catastrophe and its effect on parents and their children’s ability to gain from higher-quality schools."

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:17 AM ET, 10/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  School turnarounds/reform, School turnarounds/reform, School turnarounds/reform | Tags:  achievement gap, joel klein, manifesto, michelle rhee, poverty, richard rothstein, school manifesto, school reform, teacher quality

Posted at 12:11 PM ET, 10/05/2010

Report: Schools, teacher ed programs ignore how kids really learn
By Valerie Strauss
James Comer and Robert Pianta write about a new report that says: "Despite big advances in our understanding of how children and adolescents grow and learn, little of that knowledge has found its way into schools or educator preparation programs."

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:11 PM ET, 10/05/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Research, Research, Research | Tags:  achievement gap, education research, james comer, research, robert pianita, student achievement, teacher education, teacher evaluation, teacher quality

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 08/03/2010

Report: When/why progress in closing achievement gap stalled
By Valerie Strauss
Progress seen over several decades in narrowing the educational achievement gap between black and white students has remained stalled for 20 years, according to a new study that looks at the reasons why and says that reaching equality could take 50 to 100 years, according to a new report.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 08/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Equity, Equity | Tags:  achievement gap, closing the achievement gap, ets, ets report, factors affecting the achievement gap

Posted at 04:15 PM ET, 05/18/2010

Report looks at role of poverty, parents in student success
By Valerie Strauss
A new report by the Casey Foundation shows the close link between poverty and student success in reading, and makes recommendations for schools and community members.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:15 PM ET, 05/18/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Reading, Reading, Reading | Tags:  Casey Foundation, Casey Foundation report on reading, achievement gap, achievement gap in reading, new report on reading, parental involvement, parental responsibility in school, poverty and student achievement, reading research

Posted at 10:59 AM ET, 05/03/2010

Willingham: About poverty and school success
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham looks at the relationship between poverty and school success--and doesn't like what he sees in the United States.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:59 AM ET, 05/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Daniel Willingham, equity, guest bloggers, poverty and academic achievement, poverty and schools, the achievement gap

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 02/04/2010

Achievement gap among best and brightest
By Valerie Strauss
By Debra Viadero When it comes to achievement gaps between students of different racial, socioeconomic, and gender groups, the good news in recent years has been that the distances between those groups seem to be narrowing. The bad news: Not so for everyone. For the nation's best and brightest, a new report says, academic gaps between girls and boys, between white students and disadvantaged minority students, between poor students and their better-off peers, and between English-language learners and their English-speaking counterparts have only widened, stagnated, or declined by a hair since the late 1990s.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 02/04/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  achievement gap