Let's focus on gaps in opportunity, not achievement

05-09-2011

Opinion by H. Richard Milner/Education Week

H. Richard Milner IV is an associate professor of education at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tenn.

Research tells us again and again that when students do not achieve, their underachievement is a function of the opportunities that they either have—or have not had. There is no question that opportunity gaps are pervasive in education, and, by opportunity gaps, I mean stark differences in students’ exposure and experiences—their economic resources, the qualifications of their teachers, the rigor of the curricula they study, their teachers’ expectations, and their parents’ involvement in their education. Consider, for instance, an inquisitive middle school student I’ll call Jasmine. Jasmine is interested in science and poses interesting questions in class, completes her homework, studies hard, and even stays after school for additional assistance when she is having trouble grasping the content. Meanwhile, Lauren lives in another part of the same city, but in a more robustly resourced school. While likely similar in terms of motivation, interest, and effort, these students are not experiencing the same opportunities, which makes it difficult to compare their achievement. (more...)

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