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Issue Investigation

Assignment 3: Issue Investigation

Kassandra Frey

Master of Education, Post University

EDU 604: Diversity Issues in 21st Century Education

Professor Virginia Metaxas

February 21, 2021

The achievement gap refers to the “patterned differences in learning and attainment

outcomes between groups of students” (Murphy, 2010, p. 9). An achievement gap has been

prevalent among students living in diverse, high-poverty level communities starting before they

even enter kindergarten. Gaps in academic achievement between minority and majority students

and higher-income and lower-income students represent the most significant educational issue

within the United States (Murphy, 2010, p. 5). Consequences around the gap have become more

significant over the past twelve years. “It is often used to describe performance gaps between

African American and Hispanic students, at the lower end of the performance scale, and their

non-Hispanic white peers, as well as the similar academic disparity between students from low-

income families and those who are better off” (Mason, Hughey, & Burke, 2019, p. 20). By

gaining an understanding of what is contributing to the achievement gap, educators can learn

ways to better support students to help minimize and hopefully eliminate the gap in the future

Connections

The topic of how poverty is contributing to the achievement gap relates to course-specific

objectives such as, analyzing how culture effects learning and achievement, strategies to reduce

achievement gaps in learning, and multicultural education in general (Metaxas, Term 4). This

course is designed for students to learn how to deliver instruction to support the achievement of

diverse population of learners in a variety of settings. By investigating this issue, it will help

gain a deeper understanding of what is impacting the achievement gap and how educators can

support their students. Multicultural education is defined in many parts, but one aspect that

relates to poverty and the achievement gap is that it is “a process that permeates all aspects of
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Issue Investigation
school practices, polices, and organizations as a means to ensure the highest level of academic

achievement for all students” (National Association for Multicultural Education, 2018).

Pros/Cons

A positive of learning about how poverty impacts the achievement gap, is that educators

and other administration can learn how to better support these students. “If we simply provide

more resources to low-income communities, then their academic achievement and life outcomes

will inevitable increase” (Kumasi & Hughes-Hassell, 2017, p. 14). By being aware of these

needs, districts and other officials can put more funds to providing those lower-income families

and schools with the supplies they need. One area that was found to impact the achievement gap

was while students were out of school, such as during the summer break. “Relative to the

working-class and poor parents, the middle-class parents tend to be more successful in

constructing highly stimulating summers for their children because they tended to have greater

financial resources, more-flexible jobs, and more knowledge about how to match particular

activities to their children’s skills and interests (p. 204)” (Murphy, 2010, p.144). Students in

families with a lower-income, were making limited progress or losing their progress made during

those summer months. If families were provided with additional funds or low-cost opportunities

for their child to participate in educational experiences over the course of the summer, they

would be more engaged and maintaining their current educational level.

In addition to summer months, school districts with high poverty levels have lower state

and local spending on instructors and instructional materials (Duncombe, 2017). “Poverty was

measured by looking at the percentage of children in a school who are eligible for free- or

reduced-price lunches” (Samuels, 2019, para. 4). By having less access to materials and

resources, these students are lacking equal opportunities and educational experiences as other
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Issue Investigation
students. By missing out on these opportunities, it is contributing to the achievement gap. This

shows that the achievement gap isn’t just involving race, ethnicity, religion, or background.

A negative aspect about the impacts of poverty and the achievement gap is that educators

cannot control the income their student’s families have. Even if they are aware of the issue,

doesn’t mean it can be solved strictly by the school systems. The districts can help provide more

resources when it comes to academics, but once students leave the classroom, the educational

experiences at home are out of educators hands. If student’s do not have access to technology at

home, districts could potentially provide that. On the other hand, giving students technology,

doesn’t mean they are going to complete the work. If a student isn’t encouraged to complete

their school-work or is lacking the motivation to complete it, educators can do as much as than

can from the classroom. With this being said, students experience completely different lifestyles

at home than one another. Not one home life is exactly like another. If educators are aware of

different circumstances, they can work with the students and their families to ensure the child is

being supported, but without the communication, it can be left unknown.

Society

Gaps in academic achievement between minority and majority students and higher-

income and lower-income students represents the most significant educational issue within the

United States (Murphy, 2010, p. 5). Poverty relates to society because it is all over the world.

There will always be families who have a lower- or higher-income than another. Regarding

multicultural education, poverty, and the achievement gap, they are all impacting society each

and every day. “Analyses at the district- or metropolitan-level indicates that the strongest

correlates of racial/ethnic achievement gaps are racial/ethnic differences in parental education,

segregation, and the overall level of parental income (Reardon, Kalogrides, & Shores, 2019)”
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Issue Investigation
(Gopalan, 2019, p. 4). By having an understanding of how all of these aspects are related, as a

society, we can help limit the achievement gap. This issue goes well beyond education. Even

though we are specifically discussing the achievement gap and how poverty is influencing it, this

is not something that educators can solve alone. By working together, more support can be

provided for those low-income families and the schools they are attending. Poverty and race

seem to have a relationship among many articles. “There is converging evidence that the

disparity in average school poverty rates between the schools attended predominantly by white

and Black students is a very powerful correlate of Black-white achievement gaps (Duncan &

Murnane, 2011; Reardon, Kalogrides, & Shores, 2019)” (Goplalan, 2019, p. 5). In addition to

this, the Urban Institute conducted a study where it was found that the median wealth for a white

family was approximately $171,000, whereas the median for black families as a little over

$17,000 and Hispanics were shy of $21,000 (Samuels, 2019). By being aware of this large gap

between income/ wealth amongst these groups of people, it can be understood as to why there

may be an achievement gap relative to poverty and race. With lack of funding and resources,

these students are not being provided with the tools and necessities they need to achieve goals

and flourish compared to their higher-income peers. This also relates to multicultural education

and how important it is to provide students with equal opportunities and advocating for what is

right based on issues going on in the world.

Conclusion

In conclusion, as an educator and society, we need to work together to limit this

achievement gap. Our students deserve an equivalent education, no matter the color of their

skin, religion, house-hold income, or geographical location. We need to be accepting of this

diversity and support the needs of our students. Even though this issue goes beyond just the
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Issue Investigation
classroom, we have to begin somewhere. By communicating and understanding the needs of our

students, we can learn how to better support them. We might not be able to put an end to

poverty, but we can lessen the gap by doing our best and advocating for an equal educational

experience. Poverty has a large influence on the achievement of students in the classroom. Low

achievement in the classroom can lead to students dropping out of school due to lack of

motivation. As educators, our job is to help our students achieve goals and make progress. By

understanding how poverty levels are impacting the achievement gap, we can learn how to better

support them to ensure they are receiving equal opportunities to succeed.

After investigating this issue, it has been found that poverty and race go hand-in-hand in

regard to the achievement gap. Moving forward, learning ways on how to better support those

students and how to appropriately advocate for the resources needed to provide our students with

a positive educational experience would be beneficial. It was interesting to read on how large

the income gap is between different race and ethnic groups.

Ansell, S. (2011, July 7). Achievement Gap. Education Week.

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/achievement-gap/2004/09. 

Duncombe, C. (2017, October 26). Unequal opportunities: Fewer resources, worse outcomes for

students in schools with concentrated poverty. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from

https://www.thecommonwealthinstitute.org/2017/10/26/unequal-opportunities-fewer-

resources-worse-outcomes-for-students-in-schools-with-concentrated-poverty/

Gopalan, M. (2019). Understanding the Linkages between Racial/Ethnic Discipline Gaps and

Racial/Ethnic Achievement Gaps in the United States. Education Policy Analysis

Archives, 27(154).

Kumasi, K., & Hughes-Hassell, S. (2017). Shifting Lenses on YOUTH LITERACY &

IDENTITY. Knowledge Quest, 45(3), 12.

Mason, C. P., Hughey, A. W., & Burke, M. G. (2019). Decreasing the academic achievement gap

in P-12 schools by implementing Choice Theory and focusing on

relationships. International Journal of Choice Theory & Reality Therapy, 39(1), 20–26.

Metaxas, V. (Term 4, 2021). EDU 604 Diversity Issues in 21st Century Education Syllabus.

Murphy, J. (2010). The Educator′s Handbook for Understanding and Closing Achievement Gaps.

Corwin.

National Association for Multicultural Education. (2018). Definition of multicultural education.

Renick, T. (2018). Closing the Achievement Gap With Technology. International Educator (1059-

4221), 27(3), 50–52.

Samuels, C. A. (2019). Poverty, Not Race, Fuels the Achievement Gap. Education Week, 39(7), 5.