NCREL Policy Issues
Issue 13, December 2002
Policy Issues Q & A
Why should we be concerned about achievement gaps in middle-income, suburban schools? Middle-class, suburban schools often are overlooked in the achievement gap debate. Yet an achievement gap exists even in some of the most well-resourced, middle-class school districts in the nation. The No Child Left Behind legislation makes identifying and addressing achievement gaps a critical concern—not just for urban school districts, where attention has been focused for years, but for suburban school districts as well. This newer emphasis on suburban districts is especially compelling, given 2000 Census data that shows one-third of all black children and roughly half of all Hispanic, Asian, and white children live in suburban communities. As illustrated in Ron Ferguson's report (see "Addressing Racial Disparities in High-Achieving Suburban Schools"), students in Grades 7-11 in Minority Student Achievement Network schools participated in a survey to help researchers understand the conditions that may facilitate or hinder high achievement among racial groups.
What are the critical components for narrowing the achievement gap in middle- and upper-income suburban schools? Survey findings in Ferguson's report point to three components for narrowing the achievement gap in middle- and upper-income suburban schools: (1) reducing skill deficits; (2) increasing home resource supports; and (3) supporting professional development programs that equally emphasize content, pedagogy, and teacher-student relationships. The data show no racial/ethnic differences in effort or motivation to succeed among students in the same grade and taking the same classes, but there are significant group differences in skill level and home resources. Therefore, schools should identify and target skill level and knowledge differences among groups of students. Additional resources should be provided to give black and Hispanic students greater access to computers, books, and extracurricular activities that are intellectually enriching and outside the home. Finally, at a 3:1 ratio, black students said teacher encouragement was a greater motivating factor for them than teacher demand. Hispanic students reported a 2:1 ratio in favor of teacher encouragement. To raise the performance levels of black and Hispanic students, in particular, teachers should be encouraged to routinely incorporate encouragement into their classroom practices.
What do we know about effective in-school and out-of-school factors that support urban students' achievement? Not enough research attends to the breadth of school, community, and home conditions that support high achievement, especially among inner-city children. Reginald Clark's report (see "Building Student Achievement: In-School and Outof- School Factors") points to time-use habits of students (in and out of school), and the involvement of parents, teachers, and adult mentors in students' activities as key contributors to closing achievement gaps. Specifically, the following five factors appear to influence urban student achievement: (1) teachers' actions in the classroom; (2) students' weekly participation in high-yield, in-school and out-of-school activities; (3) quality of students' participation in out-of-school activities; (4) parental beliefs and expectations; and (5) parent-teacher communication.
Do these studies support what we're learning about the impact of a highly qualified teacher on closing achievement gaps? Yes, absolutely. Both authors suggest that improving teachers' content knowledge and instructional skill will contribute to closing achievement gaps among groups of students, whether in suburban or urban settings. Moreover, Ferguson reports that professional development programs also must focus on student-teacher relationships as an especially important factor for black and Hispanic students' performance. Finally, both authors find evidence to support resource allocation for intellectually enriching in-school and out-of-school activities, practices, and programs. — Judy Stewart, Ph.D.
