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Explore the root causes of the so-called achievement gap and challenge stereotypes about marginalized students. Highlight the importance of equitable education access and debunk the myth of a "culture of poverty."
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Pushing Past the Achievement Gap Gloria Ladson-Billings University of Wisconsin
Problem with “Achievement Gap” • Semantic • Academic performance is not static • Problem characterized merely as one of student achievement
We have other “gaps” • School Funding Gaps • Health Gaps • Wealth Gaps
Problem with Achievement Gap • Substantive • Not new • Imbedded in our thinking about poor children and children of color
The language of deficiency • “The parents just don’t care • “These children don’t have enough exposure/experiences” • “These children aren’t ready for school” • “Their families don’t value education” • “They are coming from a ‘culture of poverty’”
“The parents just don’t care” • Parents express their care in a variety of ways • Parents may not be informed • All parents are not asked to participate
“The children need exposure/experiences” • “Experiences” used as a substitute for teaching • Sympathy as a proxy for rigorous teaching • Giving students “permission to fail” rather than “demanding success”
“These children are not ready for school” • What does being “ready” mean? • If we presume the home environment to be detrimental why not have them come regardless of our perception of “readiness”? • When to start school is a variable • Wealthy families have the luxury of giving students more time
“These families don’t value education” • Poor families place higher value on education • History disputes this claim of not valuing education • The meaning we give to behavior varies depending on who is engaged in it
“They are coming from a ‘culture of poverty’” • Poverty is not a culture • People are getting rich talking about a “culture of poverty.” • We have a “pedagogy of poverty” (Haberman, 1991)
Giving information Asking questions Giving directions Making assignments Monitoring seatwork Reviewing assignment Giving tests Reviewing tests Assigning homework Reviewing homework Settling disputes Punishing non-compliance Marking papers Giving grades Pedagogy of Poverty
Not an Achievement Gap… • An Education Debt • Centuries of neglect and denial of education • Exclusion from the political process • Engaged in unethical and immoral treatment