The gap in the achievement among students of different races is about poverty, not race.
Background
Studies of the influences on student achievement invariably show that students' family income is a significant correlate of low achievement. However, even when students' socioeconomic status is taken into account, race often accounts for variance in student performance. Experts disagree about why this is so. Most experts dismiss explanations having to do with race-related "culture" (i.e., the culture of poverty thesis) or genetic differences among races. Some experts believe that the racial influence on achievement lies in the experiences students of color may have in school—such as low expectations, teaching that is insufficiently responsive to differences in student interests and needs, or unequal access to learning opportunities. There is considerable agreement among researchers that "stereotype threat"—students' belief that societal stereotypes about the limits of the academic abilities of African American, Latino and Native American students may have merit—can discourage such students from seeking to achieve at high levels.
Questions to Consider
- How does "stereotype threat" bring race to the surface in (a) understanding student achievement and (b) fostering productive student-teacher relationships?
- How do school-based policies and practices reflect institutional racism?
- What can be done to dismantle racial bias and misconceptions in the American educational system?
To explore these and other questions, take a closer look at the resources below. At any time, add your comments to the Discussion by starting a new discussion or viewing an ongoing discussion.
Stereotypes and Stereotype Threat
- Read Claude Steele's discussion of the negative impacts of stereotype threat
- Paul Gorski describes Ruby Payne’s damaging theories about poverty
- Mica Pollock describes how teachers' negative stereotypes of Black students predispose them to believing that those students cannot achieve at high academic levels
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The Relationship Between Students' Race and Ethnicity and Access to Quality Opportunities to Learn
- James Scheurich provides examples of institutional racism, including the overrepresentation of students of color in special education:
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- Christine Sleeter identifies low expectations, tracking, and the disproportionate number of White students in gifted and talented programs as examples of how race is related to opportunities to learn that affect the breadth of the achievement gap:
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- Denver students confront racial tracking at their high school
- Robert Slavin encourages teachers to examine their reactions to their students, cautioning them to identify biases that may impact their assumptions about those children:
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- Jeannie Oakes explains that the false notion of resource scarcity contributes to students of color being denied an excellent education:
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