Alexis Johnson

UWRT 1103

What is the Cause of the Achievement Gap?

Obtaining a college degree has become more and more crucial in todays society

to obtain success. However, a large achievement gap has been created causing it to

become even harder to actually obtain said degree. An achievement gap can be

created through a variety of different reasons but the main causes are finances and the

inequality of learning.

Statistically speaking where you are from and your economic status can affect

your chances of attending a university. Many schools rely heavily on test scores, like

from the SAT and ACT, and on GPA to grant admissions. If you are from a wealthier

community, you are more likely to have a higher SAT score.

Figure one
 According to figure one, the average student from Raleigh, North Carolina, where

the average income per capita is $35,200 to $325,000, scored above the state average.

Whereas the average student from Rowan County, where the average income per

capita is $17,600 to $22,400, scored below the state average. If the student does not

have an adequate SAT score they could be denied admission and attend a community

college instead to then transfer to a four-year institution to get a bachelor's degree. In

theory this is a great plan because the student is still learning college level material at a

fraction of the price. In actuality, the quality of their learning at a community college

could be lacking and their attendance there could make it no less easier to transfer to a

four-year school. Emily Chertoff said the following about transferring from a community

college to a four year institution, ...many[four year colleges] have restrictive transfer

policies that heavily weight factors like SAT scores. Coupled with a lack of funding for

community colleges, the consequences of the transfer policies have been dire. The

report The Century Foundation released this week found that while 81.4 percent of

students enter community college plan to transfer and complete a four-year degree, just

11.6 percent are able to do so within six years.

The price to attend college is also a huge factor in deciding how to continue

education. For the academic school year of 2016 to 2017, the average expected cost to

attend an in-state public college was $24,610. The price tag to attend a private

institution the same year is even more expensive at $49,320. It creates an obvious

problem when you look at the point discussed earlier about income and if they chose to

attend a community college first to save money. Most students have to rely on federal
and state funding to help them pay for their school and according to the article How

Americas 2-Tiered System is Perpetuating Inequality by Emily Chertoff, the federal

funding for colleges does not support an equal playing field. She stated, A lot of the

U.S.s money for higher education flows to elite research universities, not the

community colleges and state schools that do the day-to-day work of educating large

numbers of Americans. Instead of the government sending money to support the

majority of the populations learning experiences, they are choosing highly elite schools.

This causes higher fees and tuition for the average schools and an inequality of

learning. Without proper funding those schools cant hire the best of the best professor

or have the state of the art equipment. So, what does that mean for students that cant

attend the elite schools? The education they are paying for isnt as worthy. To cement

her case, Chertoff wrote, If you add up the value of the direct and indirect help it

receives, including tax breaks, Princeton gets about $54,000 a year per student in

federal subsidies. The College of New Jersey, a public institution 12 miles away,

receives a total of about $1,600 a year per student in federal and state subsidies.

Many programs that have been put in place to fix the issues of achievement gaps

have been counterintuitive. In an article written by Tony Holland, he states, Fortunately

for community colleges, the best strategies for closing student achievement gaps are

the same strategies that can diversify student populations, increase enrollment, improve

retention and completion rates and boost the financial viability of the college. He

suggests to pay specific attention reforming actual teaching strategies and the rest will

fall into place, This high quality education cannot be achieved with a diverse group of
students with ineffective and low quality, passive teaching strategies. It was found that

if the students had more engagement in classes, it resulted in increased attendance,

persistence, satisfaction, and preparation for class. According to Holland, Research

consistently shows that teachers using the most effective active learning and intrusive

intervention strategies have minimal achievement gaps in their classes, if there are any

at all.
 Citations

Chertoff, Emily. "How America's 2-Tiered Education System Is Perpetuating Inequality."

The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 25 May 2013. Web. 16 June 2017.

Holland, Tony. "Closing Achievement Gaps Can Boost Enrollment and Completion ."
N.p., 28 Mar. 2016. Web. 16 June 2017.

"SAT scores track income in North Carolina." SAT scores track income in North
Carolina | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2017.

"What's the Price Tag for a College Education?" COLLEGEdata. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
June 2017.