What About the Government?

If only completely ending the achievement gap was as easy as looking up a recipe to find the necessary “ingredients” and their individual measurements for its solution, the students of America would be in a much better situation. Unfortunately, that specific mixture for the recipe has yet to be found. Even though we have taken various steps to fix the problem, it has not been enough to rid us of the misfortune. Still, we, and especially the government, must continue to keep mixing different solutions to find the right method. Since I have discussed the interaction of family and teachers in education, in this post I would like to expand on the government’s influence on the achievement gap.

Former President George Bush attempted to improve the achievement gap by implementing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that called for stronger accountability from schools for results and put emphasis on stronger educational programs. The act requires students to be assessed by standardized tests, meaning all students in a state take the same test under the same conditions, in both reading and mathematics. In doing so, the goal is for every student to meet grade level requirements…in addition, if the school fails to meet these requirements, it will be imposed with punitive measures and students are to be provided with supplementary help. Although it provides specific attention to minority populations, the act has been highly criticized over the years for being ineffective, realistically unattainable, and encouraging teachers to “teach to the test”, meaning they focus more on multiple choice word problems in an attempt for students to score high on tests, instead of focusing on making sure the students understand the basics and concepts. Even I remember days when my teachers would stress over my class’s performance on practice tests, rather than just teaching and explaining the material.

President Obama’s administration directs special attention to the nation’s school system and education, and is currently redefining the government’s involvement in the way students learn. They plan to recruit new teachers and implement more incentives (yes! Teachers, ESPECIALLY those in public schools, deserve way more than they are currently receiving, *shoutout to my favorite high school English teacher, Mrs. Ward), better familiarize the future generation for success in college and in the workforce, and invest in early childhood education through programs such as Head Start, so that students are well-prepared before even entering kindergarten. In March of this year, Obama’s administration even announced their plans for revisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which will push America into global leadership by focusing on “successful, safe, and healthy students”, supporting more subjects like mathematics and engineering, and by also administering college and career assessments.

Hopefully, by the government putting in added effort to improve the current statistics of America’s school system, more minority students will have the chance to succeed and become successful. In doing so, the recipe for closing the achievement gap will become a little more sweeter!