My opionion

I was given the chance to visit Reed College in Portland, Oregon for my spring break. At a future Reedie I was excited to meet students and faulty. Once getting there I was in a culture shock. I was flying in as an underrepresented student. What I did not know was how underrepresented I really was.
Many students from all over the country who attended Private Institutions were unaware of the public schools in New York City. After having many conversations with them, these students were then able to understand the problem within this system. With this awareness they congratulated me for "leaping over the achievement gap". But was the problem solved? No
I couldn't help but feel nervous and ignorant for everyone seemed to speak with such an advance vocabulary that I was left in the dust. But I tried not to feel discouraged.
Where is our system? Where is it's preparations? I will prevail.

Teaching for america

http://www.teachforamerica.org/

This is an organization that helps in closing the achievement gap, sending teachers to teach in the most needed schools, check this out its really nice.

Disabilities

Interesting?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/education/19autism.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=education&st=cse

Ask questions.

Economy Affecting Education

The achievement gap is a result of many factors- the economy being one of them.
In this Daily New's Article Called City Struggling to find room in kindergarten for 3,000 kids-even with bigger classrooms by Rachel Monahan has left me speechless. The New York City Public School System lacks many resources but now they are pushing the maximum capacity of students per classrooms , instead of the average 21 students per classrooms we are now getting 25. The educational officials are saying that even with a max. cap. of 25 students there still might not be enough room. How awful.
What now?
Yes, the economy is effecting everyone but explain to me how our children will getting the undivided educational need they deserve to succeed in life with that many students in one classroom. Everyone of those 25 students will be learning differently. Our education is the most valuable thing we have, our children are the future these two things we need to protect.
Please tell me what you think.
Link below:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/04/17/2009-04-17_the_kindergarten_crunch_city_struggling_to_find_room_for_3000_kids__even_with_bi.html

Quality

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/education/09education.html?scp=10&sq=achievement%20gap&st=cse

Conservatives used them to say that the quality of schools did not matter, so why bother offering more than the bare necessities?

Progress too slow

"Evidence of progress"

Despite these challenges, several states have demonstrated that the achievement gap can be reduced – if not entirely closed. For instance, according to the Education Trust:

• Texas: Here, NAEP writing scores for eighth-grade African-Americans are equal to or higher than the writing scores of white students in seven states.
  
• Virginia: This state boasts one of the nation's smallest achievement gaps between whites and Hispanics. Here, eighth-grade Hispanic students had the highest NAEP writing scores for Hispanic students in any state.
  
• Department of Defense (DOD) schools: Despite high mobility, minority students in DOD schools do better on NAEP than their counterparts, yielding a smaller achievement gap. Fourth-grade white students in DOD schools outscored their African-American counterparts by an average of 17 points on the NAEP reading test – a considerably smaller gap than the national average of 32 points."
  

(Link: http://www.subnet.nga.org/educlear/achievement/ )

Although progress is better than nothing this results are dauting. This progress is considerably slow. Where are our teachers? Where are the parents?

Welcome

Hey welcome bloggers.
I am very happy to share my opionions with you. Please feel free to state yours!

Attending a Public School in the South Bronx is a first hand experience of the corruption within the New York City Public School System. The system that abondand hundred and hundreds of students. It has given us the "big achievement gap".

The racial and economic achievement gaps are a fact that many simply cannot seem to accept—morally, economically or socially. We know that all children can learn to the same high levels, so we must confront and change those things that are holding groups of students back-our children.

The U.S. Department of Education describes the achievement gap as the difference in academic performance between different ethnic groups. This gap is defined as the injustice between white students and other ethnic groups and between English learners and native English speakers, socioeconomically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged, and students with disabilities as compared to students without disabilities.


The more aware we are. The more successful students we will have. A better future for everyone.