The Achievement Gap in America Presenter: Stacey Leigh

Have you ever heard of the Achievement Gap?

Do you know what the Achievement Gap is?

Who… is the Achievement Gap speaking about?

Could the Achievement Gap be speaking about you?

Does academic achievement affect the Achievement Gap?

What about self-esteem?

You know what self- esteem is, right?

Does self-esteem affect the Achievement Gap?

Who is affected by the Achievement Gap?

Who is responsible for the Achievement Gap?

Could we be responsible for the Achievement Gap?

What are the causes of the achievement gap?

Let’s Take a [Gallery] Walk!

Does where you live determine who you are? Or better yet… Who you will become? Why? or Why Not?

Do you think the Achievement Gap is a socio-economic problem? Why or Why not?

Do you think the Achievement Gap is a cultural problem? Why or Why not?

Do you think the Achievement Gap is a geographic problem? Why or Why not?

Do you think better opportunities will improve or lower the Achievement Gap? Why or Why Not?

Where do you think the Achievement Gap will be in 5 years? 10 years?

Is it possible to close the Achievement Gap?

Will the Achievement Gap ever be a thing of the Past? Is that possible?

What do we do to solve this problem? How do we get there?

The Achievement Gap in Pennsylvania

Statement of the Problem: This topic focuses on and around the current Achievement Gap in our schools in America. Low-income students in urban communities are not achieving at the same levels of educational performance as their more affluent peers in suburbs. These differences in academic performance, known as the achievement gap, have serious implications for the future life opportunities of students and for our society at large.

Purpose Statement The overall aim for this study is to understand and explore the Achievement Gap, its causes and concerns as well as ways as an educator to ease or lessen the affect on my own students and others through awareness and purposeful teaching methods and strategies.

Essential Question: What can we do to solve this problem called the Achievement Gap?

Let’s Recap…Shall we… What is the achievement gap? Have you ever heard of the achievement gap? Who does the achievement gap affect? What are the causes of the achievement gap? Do you think the achievement gap is the same in all states? Do you think the achievement gap is the teachers' fault? Is the achievement gap a socioeconomic question? Is the achievement gap a geographic problem? Is the achievement gap a cultural question? Do you think better opportunities will improve or lower the achievement gap? Where do you think the achievement gap will stand in 5 years? 10 years? Is it possible to close the achievement gap? Will the achievement gap ever be closed? If yes, when? Will it ever be a thing of the past? How did we get there? What can we do to start making the achievement gap smaller? Where do we begin?