Prompt one

Achievement gap

In the education sector, it refers to the discrepancies that exist among students in terms of their academic performance (Altintas 98). Achievement gaps materialize in grades, school dropout rates and other factors.

Education gap

This refers to the differences in education facilities, systems, and infrastructures existing from region to region likely to affect the quality of education a student acquires.

Prompt two

After the assessment of the Coleman report, Americans tried to reduce the education gap based on the findings of the report. For instance, the evidence from the report turned into social policies encouraging parents to impact positively their children’s lives. In the end, the Coleman report proved that a child’s background influenced his or her school performance (Downey et.al 97). In other words, statistics confirm that education gaps between black and white is down by 0.15 standard deviation. This number is an overall observation from preschool to college.

Prompt three

How schools propagate inequality

            Schools serve students based on their social class. For instance, some schools cater to the poor while others can accommodate the rich. Consequently, they divide the society on financial capability (Downey et.al 120). For example, public schools serve everyone in the community while private schools accept students with deep pockets. Perhaps one of the factors that cause inequality is school resources. A school with vast resources has libraries and laboratories, which assist students, acquire knowledge on various perspectives. A student with from a poor background cannot easily access good facilities.

Generally, students from working class or marginalized communities perform below average in education. Whereas, students from middle income earning backgrounds get better grades than their working class peers (Altintas 118). The answer in the contrast lies in social and economic variation. The schooling among working class and elites differs greatly which forces students to perform based on their level of academic exposure. In other words, a well-equipped school is able to give students better exposure than an ill-equipped school.

 The ‘head start’ program gave children from marginalized communities a chance to access quality education. Moreover, the program insulated children from social and economic shifts. ‘Head Start’ was an effective intervention in offering children from low class families preschool courses (Ashurst, and Couze, 167). Administered by nonprofit entities; it would integrate school activities into the social life of poor children. In fact, the program facilitated free medical services.

 On other hand, a program such as ‘No Child Left Behind’ ensures that needy students have access to education (Ashurst, and Couze, 45). In addition, the program is under a public law that meets the needs of poor children by providing financial assistance. In return, the children improve academically.

Prompt four

Main Challenge in the American Education system

From my own personal perspective, the biggest challenge in the American education system is lack of an efficient learning surrounding, which is able to accommodate habitable classrooms and school infrastructure (Altintas 112). The learning surrounding forms an essential part in the learning procedure. I am of the opinion that students and teachers need a clean, serene atmosphere.

The other challenge is lack of funding from stakeholders or educators (Altintas 81). Expansion of infrastructure to house more students and upgrade facilities to cater to the needs of the students without compromising on the quality is a problem that needs attention.

 

Solutions

 As past researches proved, reforms solely cannot improve problems faced by American schools. The first solution has to do with standardizing schools and ensure no student is left behind in terms of curriculum (Ashurst, and Couze, 138). For instance, sitting for common examinations will help ensure uniform standards across America. Secondly, School funds, and programs should be easily implementable across the board, allowing managers to balance student requirements. Every child should have access to school resources. Third, students should have the authority to shape students into respectful individuals, able to conduct themselves responsibly without any query. In short, American schools should focus their energy on major principles and not bureaucracy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works cited

Altintas, Evrim. "The widening education gap in developmental child care activities in the United States, 1965–2013." Journal of Marriage and Family 78.1 (2016): 26-42.

Ashurst, Francesca, and Couze Venn. Inequality, Poverty, Education: A Political Economy of School Exclusion. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Downey, Douglas B., and Dennis J. Condron. "Fifty years since the Coleman Report: Rethinking the relationship between schools and inequality." Sociology of Education 89.3 (2016): 207-220.