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Toward Excellence with Equity: Racial Achievement Gaps and Why We Can Do Better August 18, 2008

The Achievement Gap Initiative At Harvard University. Toward Excellence with Equity: Racial Achievement Gaps and Why We Can Do Better August 18, 2008 Tacoma, WA Ronald F. Ferguson, PhD Faculty Co-Chair & Director the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University.

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Toward Excellence with Equity: Racial Achievement Gaps and Why We Can Do Better August 18, 2008

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  1. The Achievement Gap Initiative At Harvard University Toward Excellence with Equity: Racial Achievement Gaps and Why We Can Do Better August 18, 2008 Tacoma, WA Ronald F. Ferguson, PhD Faculty Co-Chair & Director the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University To Contact the AGI, Email: Erin_Hardy@KSG.Harvard.edu, 617-499-9154 Web Address: www.AGI.Harvard.edu

  2. US Population Shares in 2000

  3. US Population SharesProjected for 2050

  4. Program for International Student Assessment, 15-Year Olds, 2003, Math Problem Solving in OECD Nations (Dark Blue = U.S. Students)

  5. Reasons to be Hopeful • that Progress is Possible • Minimal between-group differences among infants—it appears we start from the same place. • Black-White IQ gaps are smaller than in the past. • NAEP trends showed dramatic gap narrowing between 1970 and 1990, showing that rapid progress is possible. • Recent NAEP trends for 9-year olds show movement toward group-proportional equality (i.e., all rising but lowest groups rising faster)

  6. But, Some Sobering Realities • Progress for teenagers mostly stopped around 1990. • Most high poverty, high minority schools score very poorly. • Racial gaps are often largest among children of the college educated. • 15 percent of high schools produce half of our dropouts and children of color are heavily concentrated in these schools. • There are large disparities between states, with poor states tending to score lower and receive least federal aid on a per student cost-adjusted basis. • Schools where progress causes scores to rise for all groups while gaps get narrower are not as common as we might like (though recent NAEP Trends for 9-year olds is encouraging).

  7. READING: Black 12th graders whose parents are college graduates have average reading scores below those of white 12th graders whose parents are high school graduates and have never attended college. (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2005) Compare

  8. MATH: Black 12th graders whose parents are college graduates have average math scores almost as low as those of white 12th graders whose parents are high school dropouts. (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2000) Compare

  9. SCIENCE: Black 12th graders whose parents are college graduates have average science scores no higher than those of white 12th graders whose parents are high school dropouts. (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2005) Compare

  10. Parenting Practices and Home Life Styles • Mother-child interactions during infancy help predict test scores in early elementary years and help explain achievement gaps. • Parenting practices (warmth and demandingness) during early school years help predict test scores during early adolescence and help explain achievement gaps. • Compared to Whites and Asians, Black and Hispanic children in elementary school report less leisure reading at home, fewer books at home, more television watching, more televisions in bedrooms, and get sleepier at school.

  11. I read almost everyday at home. (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-6) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=688; Black, N=1360; Hispanic, N=567; White, N=2650. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=944; Hispanic=285; White=337.

  12. Percentages who agree, “I read almost everyday at home.” (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-6) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=688; Black, N=1360; Hispanic, N=567; White, N=2650. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=944; Hispanic=285; White=337.

  13. Percentages who agree, “I read almost everyday at home.” (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-6) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=688; Black, N=1360; Hispanic, N=567; White, N=2650. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=944; Hispanic=285; White=337.

  14. Percentages who agree, “I read almost everyday at home.” (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-6) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=688; Black, N=1360; Hispanic, N=567; White, N=2650. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=944; Hispanic=285; White=337.

  15. At home, I watch television more than I do anything else. (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-6) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=687; Black, N=1355; Hispanic, N=566; White, N=2652. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=104; Black=936; Hispanic=280; White=335.

  16. Percentages who agree, “At home, I watch TV more than I do anything else.” White students, by number of computers at home. (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-5) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=688; Black, N=1360; Hispanic, N=567; White, N=2650. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=944; Hispanic=285; White=337.

  17. Percentages who agree, “At home, I watch TV more than I do anything else.” Black students, by number of computers at home. (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-5) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=688; Black, N=1360; Hispanic, N=567; White, N=2650. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=944; Hispanic=285; White=337.

  18. Percentages who agree, “At home, I watch TV more than I do anything else.” Hispanic students, by number of computers at home. (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No.”) (Grades 1-5) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=688; Black, N=1360; Hispanic, N=567; White, N=2650. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=944; Hispanic=285; White=337.

  19. Percentages with computers in their bedrooms. (Grades 1-6) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and MO. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=690; Black, N=1362; Hispanic, N=568; White, N=2649. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=103; Black=939; Hispanic=286; White=339.

  20. Percentages with televisions in their bedrooms. (Grades 1-6) Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 1st to 6th graders collected spring 2005 & ‘06 from 45 elementary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, IA, MA, MI and CA. “Advantaged” students have (by our definition) at least one computer in the home AND are not from single parent households; others are labeled“Disadvantaged.” Advantaged: Asian, N=693; Black, N=1364; Hispanic, N=570; White, N=2654. Disadvantaged: Asian, N=105; Black=937; Hispanic=285; White=336.

  21. Racial differences in Parenting Styles, re: Warmth/Responsiveness/Nurturance Cognitive stimulation Outings with parents Time with mother Parental monitoring Strictness/Demandingness Limited say in rules No arguing about rules Parental involvement/rules re schoolwork Limited adolescent decision making

  22. Reading Scores National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, by Parenting Style From work by Jelani Mandara, Northwestern University.

  23. Percentages in each category National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, by Parenting Style From work by Jelani Mandara, Northwestern University.

  24. Peers • Black and Hispanic students who get the highest grades may suffer a popularity penalty, with fewer peers listing them as friends. • There is some evidence that the popularity penalty may be associated more with the ”racial authenticity” of personal styles among some high achievers (speech styles, music preferences, trusting attitudes) than with their achievement levels or aspirations, per se. • There is opposition to hard work and “nerdy” behavior even among white students and racial differences in this domain appear to be minimal.

  25. Levels of agreement among black high school students with the statement, “I feel out of place in this class, like I don’t really fit in.” Lines distinguish students for whom people like themselves are “never or usually not accused” of acting white versus “sometimes, usually or always” accused. (z-values)

  26. Levels of agreement among Hispanic high school students with the statement, “I feel out of place in this class, like I don’t really fit in.” Lines show distinguish students for whom people like themselves are “never or usually not accused” of acting white versus “sometimes, usually or always” accused. (z-values)

  27. Levels of agreement among white high school students with the statement, “I feel out of place in this class, like I don’t really fit in.” Lines show distinguish students for whom people like themselves are “never or usually not accused” of acting white versus “sometimes, usually or always” accused. (z-values)

  28. Levels of agreement among black male and female high school students with the statement, “I feel out of place in this class, like I don’t really fit in.” Lines distinguish students for whom people like themselves are “never or usually not accused” of acting white versus “sometimes, usually or always” accused. (z-values)

  29. Considering all black high school students, why some respond that people like themselves “usually” or “always” get accused of acting white, while others say “usually not” or “never.” Percentages attributable to each listed factor.

  30. Percentages of black female high school students agreeing that it is at least somewhat true that, "I sometimes hold back from doing my best in this class, because of what others might say or think." Shown by GPA and by whether students responded "never" to the statement, "At this school, students like me get accused of acting white."

  31. Percentages of black male high school students agreeing that it is at least somewhat true that, "I sometimes hold back from doing my best in this class, because of what others might say or think." Shown by GPA and by whether students responded "never" to the statement, "At this school, students like me get accused of acting white."

  32. Percent responding, “somewhat true,” “mostly true,” or “totally true,” that, “My behavior is a problem for the teacher in this class.” Blacks Whites Mother’s Years of Schooling Male Female

  33. Risks Associated with Blame and Mistrust as Impediments to Open, Honest, On-Target Discourse For Closing Achievement Gaps

  34. Strategic Components of a Data Rich, Aligned, Coherent Movement for Excellence with Equity in [a particular community] (Boxes under each strategy are aligned with one another for coherence and, where appropriate, linked to other strategies.) Strategy 1, Instruction: A. Ambitious Goals B. Quality Curr. & Materials C. Differentiation D. Assessment for Learning E. Thematic Foci Strategy 2, Climate: A. Improve Behaviors B. Respect Diversity C. Be Culturally Competent D. Incorporate Newcomers Strategy 3, Parental: A. School Involvement B. Home-based Practices C. Supplemental Supports (e.g., out-of-school time programming) • Strategy 4, • Technology: • . . . • . . . Strategy 5, Leadership: A. District (Bd. & Supt.) B. School (Adults) C. School (Students) D. Classroom E. Community Key Action Steps: Key Action Steps: Key Action Steps: Key Action Steps: Key Action Steps: Beliefs and Norms: Beliefs and Norms: Beliefs and Norms: Beliefs and Norms: Beliefs and Norms: Organizational Structures, including “named programs” Organizational Structures: Organizational Structures: Organizational Structures: Organizational Structures: Capacities For Implementation: Capacities For Implementation: Capacities For Implementation: Capacities For Implementation: Capacities For Implementation: Accountability Mechanisms Accountability Mechanisms Accountability Mechanisms Accountability Mechanisms Accountability Mechanisms Stakeholders And Participants: Stakeholders And Participants: Stakeholders And Participants: Stakeholders And Participants: Stakeholders And Participants:

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