Achievement Gap - Coursework Example

? Achievement Gap Task: Achievement Gap There are varied socioeconomic characteristics given the disparity in income levels among people. Parents’ socioeconomic status is a significant determinant of the level of educational achievement of children. The rising inequality in the income, being a measure of socioeconomic status, of parents has consequential effects on the education, and ultimately, performance of children. Apparently, there are notable differences in academic performance between students from low and high socioeconomic status families. Noteworthy is the fact that the disparity continues to widen, despite a number of measures geared at narrowing the phenomenon. In addition, the difference, which creates the varying educational performance, has related effects on other life sectors including social interactions. The observable increase in the achievement gap that comes because of difference in status (socioeconomic) emanates from a number of factors. The educational attainment of parents of children from high socioeconomic status is high compared to that of parents from low socioeconomic status. With high educational attainment, parents from high socioeconomic status tend to offer proper educational opportunities to their students. Such parents have a high level of enlightenment and appreciation of educational opportunities. Despite the various efforts geared at reducing the achievement gap, the low level of appreciation of the role of education, by parents from low socioeconomic status families, remains a challenge. Parents from low socioeconomic status provide little support to their children that are vital in lowering the achievement gap. Parental preference varies between the low and high socioeconomic status. Parents from high socioeconomic status tend to give preference to education, contrary to their counterparts. In addition, parents from high socioeconomic status chose to take their children to schools that provide high quality education. Apart from their ability to afford such education, parents’ preference plays a vital role, as well. Given the differences in preferences, measures aimed at reducing the achievement gap may fail to attain the desired objectives. This poses a considerable challenge to the various strategies aimed at reducing the achievement gap. There is a high possibility that transitions in the relationship between the level of income that a family gets, and children’s performance in education is a key contributing factor. This renders children from high socioeconomic status families an advantage over their counterparts from low socioeconomic status families. The former have access to a number of social resources, which contribute to desired academic performance. Children from high socioeconomic status families, therefore, display desirable performance because of the various factors discussed. Those from low socioeconomic status families tend to have performance in education. With the varying income from families in low and high socioeconomic status, the achievement gap is most likely to increase, despite the efforts aimed at its reduction. The achievement gap, brought by difference in social status, tends to increase with the ever widening gap in income level of parents. There is a notable variation in investment in the cognitive progress of children by parents from low and high socioeconomic status. High socioeconomic status parents invest highly in the cognitive development of their children compared to their counterparts. The challenge of performance between children from low and high socioeconomic status families can be resolved by a number of strategies. Noteworthy is the dedication by different government institutions and agencies in ensuring a narrow achievement gap. The U.S, for instance, passed, in 2002, the legislation mandated to ensure equality among school going children. The act, (NCLB), address such concerns as the achievement gap that emanates from the difference in families socioeconomic status (Giroux & Schmidt 2004, p.213). Governments and its institutions can make education a top priority among its policies (Stringfield 2004, p.119). Prioritization would include strategies as reducing the cost of education and facilities necessary. Children from low socioeconomic status families, therefore, can afford fundamental needs and facilities to attain high educational performance. This would reduce the achievement gap that is evident between children from low and high socioeconomic status families. Provision of social capital, to low socioeconomic status families, would form a clear way of enabling them attain relevant information. This will open the information channel for such families and create awareness and enlightenment. Such information becomes vital to anchor support for the educational achievement of such families. Incentives by governments geared at improving the accessibility to leaning and educational materials by the low socioeconomic status families would work to reduce the achievement gap. Bursaries and aids for children from these families would be very vital increasing their access to education. Lowered or subsidized fees for these students would form a workable strategy towards increasing access of children, from low socioeconomic families, to educational facilities. This would improve their performance and reduce the achievement gap. It is noteworthy that the achievement gap commence from a young age when children join early stages of education. Measures of eliminating the gap should start from the early stages of kindergarten and education offered at early childhood. Governments should ensure proper provision of early education to children, which place children from both socioeconomic statuses, at par from the beginning. Monitoring the progress of children from their childhood stages of education presents is of immense importance. This is a role that educators and parents, alike, should extensively embark to undertake. Through coordination, educators and parents of children from low socioeconomic status can help reduce the gap by assessing the progress of such students. Through strategies as economic controls, governments can reduce the effects of segregation experienced in income distribution. This, notably, is a considerable cause of income level variation, as a measure of socioeconomic status. With low disparity, courtesy of such economic controls, affordability of education is a possible result. When a majority population can afford to educate their children, the achievement gap shall significantly narrow down. The segregation on status will cease to exist. This reduces the tendency of associating income to achievement and a cause of the achievement gap. It should be clear that these strategies do not eliminate compromise or neglect children from high socioeconomic status. Rather, they aim at having harmony that eliminates the disparity caused by the socioeconomic status of parents. Of high importance is the need to provide quality and affordable education; one that does not place a cohort of the population at stake while remaining unfavorable to other people. Through this, the achievement gap would reduce to a desirable level. References Giroux, H & Schmidt, M 2004,’ Closing the Achievement Gap: A Metaphor for Children Left Behind’, Journal of Educational Change, vol. 5, pp. 213–228. Stringfield, S 2004, Closing the Achievement Gap: A Special Issue of the journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, Rutledge, Mahwah, NJ. Read More