Retractions

Our first day of induction has passed. It is a day that is meant to orient and inspire and already I have more to think about than my brain can handle at this moment, when everything is a transition and everything is new. I learned one important thing today though which has led me to print this retraction:

The goal of this blog is not only to share my story with anyone who is interested, but also to teach, to increase understanding of the situation that I am trying to fight as a member of the Teach for America corps, and to help everyone understand the meaning of the "Achievement Gap" as I have so casually referred to it. I realize that by not explaining the complicated meaning of the achievement gap and its roots, by posting all of the statistics seen a few posts below I may have in fact perpetuated dangerous societal beliefs instead of removing them. Instead of reading those statistics and feeling empathy for the students, the additional challenges that they are facing, and the unequal education that they are receiving, people without a true understanding of the achievement gap may have believed, as many in this country do, that "these kids just can't learn," thus reinforcing the faulty understandings that they may have already held. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to present these statistics with a true description of the achievement gap that led to these dangerous statistics in the first place. 

In America today, there is a wide gap in achievement that seems to fall on racial and socioeconomic lines. Here are some statistics outlining these disparities: 

• 9 year olds from low-income communities are three grade levels behind their high-income peers
• About 50 percent of them won't graduate from high school
• Students from low-income communities who do graduate from high school will be performing at an 8th grade level
• Only 1 in 10 students from low-income communities will graduate from college

(Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2005)

There are several reasons that may contribute to this gap in achievement, reasons that must be understood in order for false beliefs to be discontinued. Several possible reasons are outlined by Teach for America, reasons that certainly contribute but may not be comprehensive enough as to define the true cause. Firstly, students in low-income communities face additional challenges such as a lack of health care, poor nutrition, low educational resources, etc. and the schools lack the capacity to meet these needs. Further, ideologies such as "These kids just aren't motivated," "These kids can't learn or don't want to learn," or "These parents don't care about their children's education," are prevailing and problematic. When surveyed, children in low income communities report across the board that they wish they were held to higher standards and when they are provided with strong teachers, sufficient resources, and high expectations they demonstrate the capacity to perform on par with their high-income peers. 

In the state of New York, the affluent area of Scarsdale Union Free School District reports passing rates from 2006 to 2009 consistently in the 90-100% range, often reporting 100% passing rates, while the bordering school District 7 in the Bronx, a twenty minute train ride away, reports passing scores as low as 16% and rarely above 50-60%. A passing score of 16% means that only 16% of the class was prepared to move on to the next grade level. It is undeniable that something is occurring in the low-income areas of District 7 that is leading to achievement scores so drastically below the its neighbors. However, high performing charter schools in the same low-income areas of the Bronx report passing scores from 2006 to 2009 in the 80-90% range. The children of the District 7 schools and the high-performing charter schools are the same children, living in the same apartment buildings, facing the same additional challenges, with the same financial struggles, but they are performing at very different academic levels. Something is occurring in the classrooms, something that we as Teach for America corps members seek to change and revitalize. The fact remains however, that 'high performing charter schools' are still only reporting passing scores hovering around 80 or 90%. While this is a great improvement from 16%, this is still not good enough. What about the remaining 10 to 20%? Should they get left behind when 100% of their Scarsdale peers are prepared and continuing onto the next grade level? 

This is the meaning of the achievement gap, but I ask you to visit the Teach for America website for more in depth information. Hopefully with this understanding, new light will be shed upon the statistics provided above and below.

Now on a more personal note, it has been one day, I am exhausted and yes, I have already cried. Twice. Send me coffee or send me death.