Research Paper on "Educational Gap Between Whites and People of Color"

Research Paper 9 pages (3172 words) Sources: 9

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Educational Gap Between Whites and People of Color

In modern America, education plays a critical role in the provision of opportunities for individuals to move up the social ladder. Anderson and Taylor (2010) posit that education is a critical component of social mobility. It allows persons to access better paying jobs and thus the more education an individual possesses the more likely they are to escape the ravages of poverty and create wealth. Thus as a value acquiring an education has become the mantra of most if not all politicians and societal leaders. Because of educations pivotal role it is therefore critical that any structures and policies that impede the educational progress of citizens be given generous consideration. The observed gap between whites and people of color for all indicators of education is consequently a major concern. There are multiple reasons for the gap and these reasons along with suggested fixes will be explored in this essay. The educational gap between whites and persons of color is both structural and institutional in nature; however, it can be bridged through the appropriate policies and interventions.

If one considers the historical antecedents of the problem at present in particular the history that slavery has bequeath to persons of color it becomes easier to understand some of the structural elements of the gap. Slaves were not considered worthy of education in a society where education was reserved for the privileged and thus the few. The Jim Crow laws that limited the access of people of color to libraries and other places of learning were an present problem (Hamlet, 2010). The situation was one where both through policy and law blacks were denied access to education this was particularly in the south. The few blacks who did receive and education did so at the peril of severe punitive measures. For persons of color access to education at this time was virtually nonexistent. Thus, even in post slavery America there was a gap in the education of whites and persons of color. Attempts were made to bridge the gap using legislative means however while the legislative means could guarantee access to classrooms and teachers. It could not redress the elements of racism within the wider population that created social conditions that made learning difficult.

The challenge posed by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 demonstrated another facet of the problem and the structural challenges faced by persons of color to receive an equivalent educational experience (Brunner, & Haney 2007). The ruling of the Supreme Court in this case declared that the practice of segregation in schools was unconstitutional. The court also supported equality of treatment as a right and not a privilege. This landmark decision meant that persons of color would now legally have access to the same schools as whites. The question of access is critical since under the mechanism of equal but separate while persons of color were given schools to attend. The schools were usually poorly funded, and had limited facilities.

Under the conditions of limited funding and poorer facilities, it was apparent that the children who attended these schools would do worse than children attending schools at other venues. White schools therefore were given better-qualified teachers and better physical plants and amenities. When this is added to the problem of starting from behind the gap begins to widen even further. The colored community benefitted immensely from Brown vs. Board of education because they were now able to have legal access to the same schools as white students.

However, legal access is not the same as social acceptance. While the courts could declare that students had legal access to the schools, they were unwanted socially. In many schools students of color experienced rabid racism and discrimination. So that while white and colored students attended the same physical plant or school their experiences were vastly different. There were two schools on the same plant and the social experience of students of color was such that it influenced their performance. This is not to suggest that some students of color did not excel or do well; on the contrary, these exceptions demonstrate where the mean is and show that in the main students suffered and underperformed in these schools.

The "achievement gap" as it is called has been researched quite extensively and there are a number of factors that are proposed are being responsible for the magnitude of the gap (Achievement gap, 2002). These factors include but are not restricted to; race and ethnicity, the digital divide, teacher quality, curriculum issues, standardized testing, television consumption, the educational level of parents and the parenting behaviors. Each of these factors work in combination to produce the achievement gap, consequently they will be considered in sequence. Before the factors are explored, it will be useful to consider the size of the gap.

Firstly, for the age group 18-24 around 90% of white students have finished high school or earned an equivalent degree. This is compared with only 81% for persons of color. This is nine-point difference between the completion rates. If the situation is evaluated before high school, the picture is equally stark as white children are more likely to have higher scores on the standardized tests, than students of color, and they are less likely to drop out of school (Achievement gap 2002). The reality is that by the time both sets of students get to kindergarten students of color are already behind their white counterparts. The gap widens in high school and finally by the age of 29 a student of color has half the chance as a white student of earning a bachelor's degree. The divide begins early in life and continues to widen, as the students get older. This illustrates that life chances and opportunities will be less for students of color than for white students.

A consideration will be given at this point to the factors that assist singularly and in combination to produce the achievement gap. The central conception here is that some of these factors can operate by themselves to lessen a student of color chances within the education system. The reality however, is that most of these factors work in tandem with other factors thus magnifying the effect and exacerbating an already difficult situation. This speaks to the challenge of bridging the divide since attempts to remedy the problem have to use a multifaceted approach because the problem straddles social, structural, and economic institutions. At the end of a consideration of the factors, a brief assessment will be given of the future of the achievement gap based on existing trends.

Since the focus is on ethnicity and race, this is the first factor that will be considered, all other factors work in harmony with ethnicity and race to produce a wider divide. As demonstrated previously simply being a person of color is problematic. This is not because of genetic or biological factors but because of structural constraints that have historically limited the access of persons of color to education. The system of zoning students for school attendance disproportionately affects students of color because they are more likely to live in areas where the schools are poor. The schools lack adequate resources and the environment of the school is not conducive to learning or teaching. The students who attend such schools understand the social implications of the schools and are painfully aware that very little is expected of them.

The question of low expectations is not only from the students but also from the teachers. Weissglass () suggests that racism functions in the school system in such a manner that teachers are often believers in the stereotypes advanced about black students. The teachers have low expectations of the students and in turn transmit these low expectations either verbally or through a host of non-verbal cues. The students feed into these cues and they perform in concert with the expectations. This is another way in which simply being a person on color has an effect on the achievement gap. This is not a question of intelligence or ability but rather the unconscious and possibly conscious functioning of covert racist leanings. It should be noted that the prevalence of these stereotypes in the media might make it easier for this type of thinking to take place. Teachers are part of the wider societal structure and are influenced by machinations of the mass media.

The socioeconomic status (SES) of a person of color has a relationship to their position within the social structure and to their life chances. Anderson & Taylor (2010) note that an individual's SES is a function of their income or wealth, occupational prestige and education. It is therefore in this regard that SES is a most potent determining factor because it determines educational opportunities and is determined by education. This essentially means that it is has a multiplier effect and creates a situation where persons who come from homes where their SES is low will have limited opportunities… READ MORE

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