A Gap Between Test Scores Of High And Low Income Students

A gap between test scores of high and low income students has existed and grown by 40% since the 1960’s (Tavernise 1) and now is nearly double the size of the African-American and Caucasian achievement gap (Reardon 1). The debate on how to resolve it has been growing since then as well. Low income students, one-fifth of America’s school age children (Resmovits 1), fall into the cracks of the school system and worry if they’ll ever make it to college. Most people would agree â€Å"We need to help these children achieve,† and so to that statement there is little or no contest, the real debate is how we should help these children. Several new learning philosophies have been coming into focus since the 2001 No Child Left Behind act, two of which†¦show more content†¦School systems should revamp their current methods with a few basic points from each approach that can be easily assimilated into their schools’ models, create an atmosphere of mot ivation, engagement, and self-efficacy, as well as giving students alternative options than the standard college path. One of the points that could easily be blended into the school system is the No Excuses Approach’s to concentration of boosting academic performance by minimizing distraction. This does not mean wiping the slate clean and hiring new teachers with new methods, nor is this implying that teachers are not doing their best to raise academic performance. However there are simple ways to make a good classroom even better. One of these methods include S.L.A.N.T., an acronym standing for Sit up straight, Lean in, Ask and answer questions, Nod, and Track the teacher. My high school Economics teacher uses this to effectively create a more focused learning environment that many students enjoy and while I do not have concrete evidence it is beneficial it is something that in my experience seems to work. It is similar the the rule in Democracy Prep, a No Excuses Approach school, to sit up and make eye contact with the teacher (Resmovits 4). It has the benefit of ridding the classroom of distractions and keeps the students focused on the lesson, even in a class of around thirty. While it has been proven that smaller classrooms are beneficial to learning and it has been