The Achievement Gap
A Generational Perspective
Presented to EDUC 7752
November 11, 2008
Marjorie Economopoulos
Overview
•
•
•
•
Focus on mathematics (middle & high)
Gender
Race/Ethnicity
Data driven decision making
– Education Trust, Katie Haycock
presentation
• How does GA measure up?
• OK, what can we do about it all?
Before We Begin
1. Does your school practice tracking
(grouping) in Mathematics, reading,
other? What are a few advantages?
A few disadvantages?
2. What do the students in the advanced
class look like? Who are the students
in the slowest group?
Gender Bias
•
Boys v. girls
– 1963 adv math class at FSU (I was one of two
girls in class, similar for Physics, Chem…)
– Johns Hopkins research “innate ability” less for
females (the math gene)
– Efforts were focused, eg. AAUW, 50+ yrs
– 1987, Sprayberry HS, Calculus class 50% girls
– Opportunities are now, still some inequities…
– Awareness, concerted efforts to diminish
differences
Brown v. Board of Education
• 50+ years later: a two tiered education
system
• Achievement gap remains wide
• Efforts to close gap require change in
belief systems of teachers and BOE
• Good results are happening
• Need concerted efforts to expand
results
Some National Data
• The Education Trust, Katie Haycock
– A lifelong career
– Data driven results oriented
– Closing the achievement gap
– A passion for kids
• October 2008, a talk to superintendents
in Springfield, Illinois
How are We Doing in GA?
• National Center for Educational
Statistics, NAEP we are similar to nation
• Cobb County, CRCT, GHSGT
• Capital View Elementary, APS
NAEP Nation
Mathematics Grade 8
NAEP Georgia
Mathematics Grade 8
Cobb Co, AYP
CRCT Mathematics
Percent Meets+Exceeds
100
90
White
Hispanic
Black
80
70
60
50
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Cobb Co, AYP
GHSGT Mathematics
Percent Meets+Exceeds
100
90
White
Hispanic
Black
80
70
60
50
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Capital View Elem, APS
CRCT Mathematics
Percent Meets+Exceeds
100
90
80
Black
70
60
50
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Demographics of Tracking
Who are the students in these classes?
• Advanced math classes
• Regular (on-level)
• Slow, modified, inclusion, …
• New HS Math curriculum is designed to
help alleviate the problem,
implementation only exacerbates it
What Can We Do?
• Speak of results, data driven decision
making
• Use your courses at KSU to learn more
about how to obtain high performing
results
• Use your new “clout” with a Masters
degree to help influence change
Discussion
Presentation can be found at
www.ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~meconomo
References: Gender
Research on the Male/Female Student Achievement Gap
http://www.swcompcenter.org/pdf/Gender_Overview.pdf
In 2005, the U.S. Department of Education selected WestEd as the agency to
operate the Southwest Comprehensive Center (SWCC) with RMC Research
Corporation and American Institutes for Research (AIR) as subcontractors on
this project.
For 50 years, the AAUW Educational Foundation has been
breaking through barriers for women and girls.
In 1958, the Educational Foundation was officially established to administer AAUW's
fellowship and grant programs, advancing educational and professional
opportunities for women in the United States and around the globe..
http://www.aauw.org/ef50/index.cfm American Association of University Women
Gender cont’d
Gender Gaps: Where Schools Still Fail our Children,
Executive Summary
American Association of University Women, follow-up to How Schools
Shortchange Girls.
http://www.aauw.org/research/upload/GGES.pdf
U.S. Culture Discourages Girls from Excelling at Math
October 10, 2008, Mathematical Association of
America, online http://www.maa.org/news/101008girls.html
References: Achievement Gap
Fifty Years after Brown v. Board of Education: A Two-Tiered Education
System
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0
000019b/80/27/f8/c7.pdf
Full text report available online, published by National Commission on
Teaching and America’s Future, www.nctaf.org
The Education Trust, Katie Haycock, Closing the Achievement Gap,
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/
Data presentations available at
http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Product+Catalog/recent+presentations.
htm
References: Data Sources
Georgia Department of Education, CRCT and GHSGT
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/ayp2008/performance.asp?SchoolID=63
3-0000-b-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-8-0-0
National Center for Education Statistics, NCES, NAEP data + much
more
http://nces.ed.gov/
Under Data Tools, various methods of reporting. Dynamic reports
are really fun and powerful