Closing the achievement gap is often invoked as a part of the social justice project. Were you previously familiar with Ladson-Billings' argument that focus on the achievement gap is actually part of the problem? React to her ideas here. Feel free to comment on any part of the article. Also, feel free to ask any questions that the reading called to mind. In light of what she writes do you see any way to salvage parts of the achievement gap frame?
Blog notes for Class #2 Feb 1 2021_from Dana Rahbar-Daniels
ReplyDeleteAmong the numerous observations, inquiries and points from a wide range of research literature that Prof Ladson-Billings described in her Presidential Address, there were several that especially struck me, such as:
* the effect of the ‘Achievement Gap” orientation has been to move toward remedies that represent short-term solutions that are unlikely to address the long-term underlying problems
* the expansion of education outcome disparities between White and Balck & Latina/o students in the 1990’s, despite the narrowing of family income differences in the same period - [and arguing for more attention to the effects of family wealth disparities as a cross-generational underlying factor]
* the real danger to redressing the moral deficit in our socio-political environment is not so much a lessening of norms for civil discourse and rationale debate as it is our discussions about morality residing solely in the realm of the individual, so that personal responsibility stands as the preeminent concern and value, while social responsibility gets little or no regard. [to me, this reflects a profound flaw in the dominate White culture in America for centuries]
* the magnitude of our education debt erodes the relational trust needed for school reform and represents a portion of the debt service that teachers and administrators pay each year that should be invested in the helping student advance academically
* In the video interview, I found her position of contrasting public higher ed school environments with public K-12 environments (rather than using private K-!2 schools as the comparison group) to be well taken. Her emphasis on generating stronger co-curricular programs and active alumnae support as prominent components of K-12 school life also resonated with me.
As for the articles on “willpower” and “marshmallow” research studies, to me the thread of “anti-government” (essentially anti-public institutions) thinking, with no mention of large-scale governmental reform successes like Social Security and Medicare, represent just more of the neoliberal mindset that prizes individualism and denigrates collectivism and socio-economic influences, except perhaps in making war. I also wondered what these researchers meant by the term “success” that they predicted we should all be trying to achieve “in almost anything”.
What impresses me about this article is the author's bold proposal of moral panic and moral barriers. She developed a definition that the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians, and other right-thinking people. I don't think people are born with racist ideas and behaviors. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire put forward the concept of "cultural invasion", which was not only an instrument of domination but also a result of domination. Therefore, the cultural action with careful consideration and planning is the product of oppression of reality. Racism has occupied a very long time in the history of the United States, even was protected by law before; the initiative and implementation of desegregation are only over 60 years old, and since the Brown Act was passed, it was not able to be fully implemented overnight. For protecting its dominant position, many school boards still fulfilled "transfer" ”policies and practices to undermine the employment and authority of black educators, in order to keep the public education system in the direction they prefer. Therefore, to clean the moral barriers, this change must start from the superstructure.
ReplyDeleteAs for the author's opinion that almost three-quarters of black and Latino students studying in predominately non-White schools may be a new form of segregation, I have different views. Since 2015, the majority of students in public schools in the United States are no longer white, and 50.5% of primary and secondary students are of color. If we only look at this number itself, on the contrary, it will not take long for white students to become ethnic minorities. The root of discrimination lies in ideology. We should endeavor to eradicate it ideologically and offer all children equity. As VCU advocates: to embrace diversity with equity and inclusion!
From Hui Sun
DeleteResearch shows that there is a gap in academic achievement between minority (Black, Latino and Indian American) and their White counterparts. One of the main reasons for achievement gap is education debt. In addition, the historical debt (inequalities in race, class, gender), sociopolitical debt (voting registration), and moral debt (ethical breaches) and policies that characterize the society have created and contributed to the education debt.
ReplyDeleteSegregation still exists today. Empirical data suggest more schooling is associated with higher earning. Due to the income disparities, there is obvious wealth gap between whites and blacks. Over time the income gap has narrowed to some extent but still the suburban communities with mostly White population tend to have school districts that are on high achievement in terms of standardized testing score. Part of it is due to quality of housing, neighborhoods and funding of school districts that a family can afford and has access to and ability to finance higher education. The city school with mostly Black population lack infrastructure, technology, funding support and other benefits that the suburban public-school students are privileged to have at their disposal. Statistics says that ‘correlation does not prove causation’. But the funding inequality does have an impact on achievement gap in black student. Hence there is still segregation in terms of equitable and high-quality education. Clearly wealth disparity reflects the education debt and hence achievement gap.
One of the examples as mentioned in the paper about the moral debts was the Tuskegee syphilis study. Research ethics do not just concern research integrity, but they also concern ethics towards participants. The Tuskegee syphilis study, where participants were 600 black, African American men from Tuskegee, Alabama was chosen for the study. The study was performed for over a period of 40 years and the they were never told they had syphilis. Halfway through the study, it had become clear and wildly accepted that penicillin was effective treatment for syphilis. But the Tuskegee study participants were never provided the treatment. The Tuskegee participants were poor and illiterate people facing difficult economic times. The vulnerabilities were exploited.
This is an historical event about research ethics and such incidents have also contributed to the moral debt and hence the achievement gap in Blacks.
I was not previously familiar with Ladson-Billings', so this was completely fresh to me. It seems that accountability is the main theme woven through her arguments, which I agree with. Specifically in the video when she is talking about her preference to use the debt language since it holds everyone accountable, not just those people directly affected by an “achievement gap”. Accountability leads (hopefully) to intention and action. Her talk of multiple funding streams in Higher education and how that could help Public k-12 also mentioned this same “accountability” - you give 1 million dollars to a higher education institution, you want to see exactly where that money goes and hold them accountable.
ReplyDeleteIn the presidential address, the moral debt component was most interesting to me. Specifically, I found truth when she discussed the difference in owing a moral debt to a single person versus an entire group. Clearly there have been groups in the past to which a moral debt was owed, but it’s hard to think of instances (for me at least), where this happened. “What is it that we might owe to citizens who historically have been excluded from social benefits and opportunities?” - Ladson-Billings gave great examples of groups of people who are owed a moral debt, but eradication seems scarce, if evident at all. Her example of the moral debt owed to indigineous people and then the education statistics from the same population were staggering. While I agree with her that most people are pragmatic and practical, there is still such a lack of accountability for people not affected. When her reasons for addressing the educational debt are listed, and she mentions foraging a better education for the future, I still think that too many of these practical people don’t see it as a priority since they’re not specifically affected by it or held accountable - which is where the greater problem lies.
I was quite familiar with Ladson- Billings before this reading but had never read this piece before. I found her comparison between the deficit and debt and the disparities in education to be very insightful. The idea looking at where we are currently in education as a cumulative experience that has spanned decades made a great deal of sense to me as an educator and made many of the failed attempts to bridge the achievement gap understandable. Going down the “rabbit hole” of educational reform often gives me headaches, and I get frustrated with the lack of solutions proposed. Her bankruptcy proposal didn’t sound too bad after reading about our hopeless educational debt and the moral debt that came along with it. I thought about how we try so hard as teachers to implement changes and to create an environment where all students can achieve, but when you build a house on rotten wood, it tends to not stand. If the educational deficit is what she says, then I like the idea of the hurricane coming and knocking that house down to it has to be rebuilt from the ground up.
ReplyDeleteThe marshmallow test and John Tierney’s ideas on the greatest human strength were interesting in that I think it reveals many layers of impulse control and reasons behind what they called decision fatigue. I think there are so many levels of decision fatigue from the example of Anthony Weiner making horrible decisions to a kid who has had to make hard choices all day to a mom who just can’t make one more decision so opts out. I had to stop and think about whether I would be able to wait to get the second marshmallow. It made me consider why someone would eat that marshmallow knowing they could get more. But then the experience of someone thinking, what if I don’t get this one and the other one never comes, makes that lack of impulse control even more understandable. I made the connection between the marshmallow test findings and what Ladson- Billings was saying about our educational deficit, and what I came up with is all of that history that comes with the experience that impacts how one reacts to what is presented makes an extreme impact on education. I think past experiences build and make someone eat the marshmallow or save it and the same goes for education. What a person would do in order to overcome things in the past would be go to therapy in an attempt to break the cycle. What does a whole educational system and country do? This makes me think of the moral panic and how that panic makes people make poor decisions like figuratively eating that marshmallow too soon.
In reading Ladson-Billings, I am inclined to agree with her framing of "education debt" as an alternative to "achievement gap" - my immediate thought was to the field of medicine, where an ongoing conversation is taking place around the importance of symptoms versus illnesses. It strikes me that the achievement gap is a symptom - albeit one that, like some physical symptoms, is debilitating and complex enough to pose as its own illness. Education debt is a framework for understanding the illness, although one could argue that is itself a symptom of white supremacy, patriarchy, and the structural biases implicit in the assorted systems of our country since its founding. Ladson-Billings did an excellent job of enumerating some of these structural debts in her piece, and I was particularly struck by the impact of Sociopolitical Debt, which seems to create a kind of ouroboros where those who get more out of their education hold more political power, and are able to empower their families and networks to get more out of their education. The same is true for Economic Debt, of course.
ReplyDeleteWith everything going on, the election of 1876 has been on my mind a lot lately – the end of reconstruction, the empowering of structural racism… in that small window between the end of the Civil War and that election, there were many steps taken toward an accounting for these debts, and because of that election, the system became further warped and the debt increased even further.
I think, overall, I am most struck by Ladson-Billings use of bankruptcy as a metaphor for forward progress here. I am reminded of a book I read recently, “Blind Spots” by Dr. Kim Berens, that poses a different set of existential questions for educators. I can’t help but feel that our system of education is on the precipice of sea change. To address our debts, and proceed with a system that equitably, and scientifically benefits its students, I feel we must reimagine what education is in its entirety.
I was familiar with Gloria Landson-Billings for her CRT and CRP work, but this is my first time hearing of her gap vs. debt argument. In general, I enjoy reading her work because it is simple and concise, yet very effective in getting her message across. She comes off as someone who would be very approachable if we saw her in Target, because she hasn't forgotten the root of who she is and what is fighting for. I would agree that approaching education as a moral debt would be a beneficial way to bring about real change. However, I can't help but think about have interest convergence would still defer the goal even further and have those that are "owed a debt" still working twice as hard to get half as much. I think for those reasons it is necessary to keep the gap at the forefront as we address the debt. Remembering the gap makes it personal.
ReplyDeleteWhen there is debt we all pay with the same money that has the same value no matter who owns it. However, education is on a one size fits all field. Gaps allow us the space to analyze and explore different strategies and practices that are geared towards certain populations or demographics, which is necessary. Remembering the gap, while working as a collective on the debt, will ensure that we are supporting all areas with the same attentiveness, but also remembering that some areas will need more and be willing to rally behind that cause as a unit. As I type it, I now realize how paradoxical that sounds, but that's life.
We can not continue to utilize blankets approaches to our practices, or, for example, assume because every student has a device they are all on the same playing field. It almost goes back to the equity vs. equality argument. The gap assures equity while the debt assures equality. As my students would say, we just have to "keep that same energy" when we address the debt and be held accountable for our actions.
Sierria's post
DeleteI was familiar with Ladson-Billing's argument against focusing so heavily on the achievement gap. While reading this text, I was reminded of Diane Ravitch's "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" (2010). In her early chapters, Ravitch points to America's fascination with simple solutions and what she calls silver bullets. Our tendency is to latch onto one particular issue, be it literacy rates or college prep curriculum, etc, and push that issue to the forefront. Of course, education is a complex machine with many knobs, dials, and levers. Adjusting or altering any singular dial will not "fix" any problem. But silver bullets are catchy, and catchy slogans and messages are the bread and butter of any political position. And education leadership is without a doubt a political position.
ReplyDeleteIt has been 15 years since Ladson-Billing made this address, but I prefer Prudence Carter's language in "Closing the Opportunity Gap" (2013). When we talk about achievement gaps, we are putting subtle blame on the students for not achieving at the same rates despite not having the same opportunities. Ladson-Billing's argument supporting a focus on education debt is an argument supporting a focus on opportunity gaps.
I am studying higher education policy, and I find myself wondering how opportunity gaps and education debt manifests in our colleges and universities. I can think of some knee jerk examples surrounding admissions, persistence, and retention disparities, but if we apply Ladson-Billing's education gap framework (coupled with Carter's opportunity gap language), we can conclude that the American higher education system was simply not designed with every student in mind. Desegregating our universities was only the first step in addressing our higher education debt, but continued progress has stagnated. What are the other steps universities can take in order to address the education gap?
I was not familiar with Ladson-Billings’ argument before the reading and video this week. Truthfully, I don’t know a lot about K-12 education, as most of my studies have been devoted to students in higher education. However, the idea of an “education debt” struck me. As someone who works in public health and in a college setting, I can see the carryover impact of students who have experienced racism and/or classism in their school systems and then come to a university. Black men of color at VCU, for example, have some of the highest attrition rates at our institution. First-generation college students have been shown to experience difficulty with social involvement and navigating resources available to them at the university.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, it isn’t school systems alone that can fail students with marginalized identities. Schools are connected to other systems and histories that contribute to such a debt. For example, I think about historical gerrymandering of school districts, who has been historically been able to afford and attend college, and public policies such as unlivable minimum wages that can stifle opportunities for parents to provide necessities for their kids. All of this contributes to an educational debt.
However, I do think that schools (and universities) should have an obligation to examine the direct impact that they do have. They can begin to do this by acknowledging how their own institution plays a role in perpetuating “-isms,” currently and historically.
One of the best parts of beginning this program is the amount of exposure to articles like this. I was not previously familiar with this particular article revealing that the "achievement gap" may be part of the problem. With 17 years in education, "gaps" are a term we use regularly. Each year they may be disguised by a new term or educational acronym, but all mean the same.
ReplyDeleteThis idea of debt vs. gap is an interesting one. Creating a more global, wide angle view. It reminds me of the mentality of ALL kids are our kids instead of "those kids, those schools etc." It isn't just ONE thing, this debt is a compound effect, which is much larger the "a" gap.
In the video when she describes the most important part of being a principal, as being laser focused on instruction and how we teach/lead teacher and parents etc. This couldn't be more true.
With that said, the argument that this all-out focus on the “Achievement Gap” moves us toward short-term solutions that are unlikely to address the long-term underlying problem, might be we haven't close gaps. Educators can do everything 100% correct. If we don't address the whole picture, it doesn't work.
We have to start somewhere right? So yes, parts of the achievement gap frame are purposeful. At its most basic, educators are focusing on students "growing." They don't have to catch up to other peers, it is just important that they leave classrooms better than they arrived. That can means lots of things. Maybe they are more social, have learned a new skill/trade, have mastered their multiplication facts. Baby steps...which is a start in closing any gap, educational or otherwise.
last comment by Melissa...
DeleteWhile I wasn’t familiar with Gloria Ladson-Billings prior to this module, I am familiar and agree that the sole focus on the achievement gap is part of the problem. I appreciate her holistic perspective of the school community. In a similar reading I saw the achievement gap referred to as the “opportunity gap”. In my opinion the opportunity gap is what Ladson-Billings is referring to when she mentions the impact of the education debt on Black and Brown students. Communities that have been historically underfunded in public education have and always will be behind their White peers.
ReplyDeleteLadson-Billings holistic perspective of the school community is the right idea however is very difficult to execute with the many barriers of systemic racism that plague our country. I think if we want to merely scratch the surface of closing the opportunity gap, we need to start with the manner in which education is funded. Communities that are more affluent are undoubtedly going to excel because they have more tax dollars as well as other sources of revenue (strong PTAs, alumni, etc.) that supplement the funding provided by state & local governments. Richmond City for example, while some of the most expensive homes are located in the fan area downtown, there are five of the largest major housing projects also located in the city. These heavily populated projects do not bring any source of taxable revenue to the school division therefore you see a clear divide in the amount of funding and resources that are available to students in those areas.
Jasmine's post
DeleteI was not familiar with Ladson-Billing’s article before reading the address. I have heard about the achievement gap. I grew up in West Virginia and spent the better part of my life living in the coalfields. My reactions to the reading come from my life experiences. Like many people, my views of public education come from having been educated in public schools and having my children educated in public schools, but my work in community development taught me to look more at systems and structures than the general public probably does. I could share several anecdotes about the differences in the schools my young children attend in Chesterfield versus the schools their older siblings attended in southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia, my experience versus my husband’s experience transitioning to college, and the educational history/experiences of my husband’s family versus mine. The narrative of the achievement gap as “the problem” never worked for me. To be very direct, it seemed to me that the achievement gap was a form of “victim blaming”. In my experience, the achievement gap was used to say that the reason a group of kids weren’t achieving at the same rate was because of inherent qualities of the group.
ReplyDeleteThe education debt makes more sense in explaining the long-term and pervasiveness of the disparities in our educational system. As I read through, I found myself thinking about what research questions this would inspire and how research projects might be structures to allow for the innovation that is needed to aggressively address the education debt as Ladson-Billings suggests. I also found myself thinking about the funding model we use to pay for education. I can think of several ways we claim to fund education, but there is probably more to it than I know. I can’t recall reading research that focuses on the structure of the funding model used for education, but I haven’t exactly gone looking for it either. One of the foundations of public education was “local control.” How do we balance this with the need to reduce a national debt? Finally, the education debt certainly gives a framework for discussing the critical need for more adult education in our country. As my focus in adult learning, this provides me with a new way of viewing adult learning as part of a larger strategy of attacking the education debt.
Michelle Carter
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