As African American students move through elementary and middle school, studies show, the test-score gaps that separate them from their better-performing Caucassian peers has grown fastest among the students and slowly for those who start out with below-average academic skills. There is no clear reason why white students seem to be achieveing better in the academic studies as oppose to African American students. But some experts believe the patterns have something to do with the fact that African-American children tend to be taught in predominantly black schools, where test scores are lower on average, teachers are less experienced, and high-achieving peers are harder to find. Some other research also suggests that high-achieving black children in some schools face more peer pressure to mask their academic abilities and that black children, on average, tend to have fewer opportunities for intellectual enrichment outside of school, which might be particularly important for bright students to shine and have more opportunities to expose their capabilities.
There has been several studies and evidence to prove that not only are African Americans underrepresented among high achieving students, but also those who are high achievers at one level tend to lose ground, on average, to high achieving Whites and Asian Americans at subsequently higher levels. This could be due to whether or not students families are involved and supportive for them and their education, along with the area in which they live. But if the schools were equipped financially to provide all the necessary resources for students to achieve high scores on standardized tests but also to graduate and move on to higher institutions of learning. As the curriculum increases in challenge, these students are not able to perform as well as they had in the past because of very poor study skills, support and lack of resources. Maybe, one day we will have some answers on how to close these gaps.
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I suspect that there are no definitive answers as to why more black students are achieving at lower levels than white students because no one wants to admit this is a serious problem. I would like to think that if more people were aware about this problem then there would be a demand for change. However, administrators would most likely argue that they do not have the funds to improve their schools. Teachers are paid less in schools where students are not high achievers. There is certainly a connection between student achievement and teacher motivation. Perhaps, if teachers were on a standard basis paid more they would put more effort into teaching. Another piece to this puzzle may be that many standardized tests are biased. Many of the standardized tests are geared towards students who fall into the category of middle class and white. Overall, I think funding is the main issue in this high achiever gap between white and black students. Furthermore, money towards schools needs proper management. Often school districts are given funding, but it is not properly divided. Many would also argue that schools are given money to fix their schools. However, schools need more than just one lump sum because constant repairs need to take place in order for a school to be properly maintained. Clearly, much work needs to be done in order to help close this gap.
This is an interesting topic, because I believe it has been a continuous struggle for black students to arise up from the stigma of being "uneducated". In what area are they surveying these students? This question comes to mind, because minorities do attend schools which have less resources and funding available to provide most black students with the education they deserve. However, I do feel that the survey done for the white students, were perhaps done in a well funded area. Parent’s involvement does have a serious effect on student’s education regardless of race.
Does studies on survey elementary school, or do they follow these students throughout their college careers and higher education? I believe a real gap and outcome cannot be defined truly because completing a degree or some form of higher education is a true sign of educational greatness. The same funding used to conduct these surveys could and should be used low funding in minority school, instead of reporting it, make a difference.
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