Bridging the Achievement Gap: A Bridge Too Far?

Abstract

Mr. Mathis exposes four fallacies that are the basis of the destructive argument that schools can single-handedly close the achievement gap. SEEKING TO cut off German access to the Rhine, Allied commanders dropped a small force of lightly armed paratroopers deep behind enemy lines. They were to seize a key bridge in Holland. Because of poor planning, inadequate support, overextended lines, and dropping the paratroopers into the middle of two crack Panzer divisions, the Allied venture was doomed. It was a bridge too far. Of course, the moral imperative was right. And of course, it is the moral obligation of all educators to bridge the achievement gaps between rich and poor, between boys and girls, and between brown, black, and white. Half a century after Brown v. Board of Education, we can mark the great progress we have made. But the gap remains. Some federal and state political leaders have made gung-ho proclamations about leaving no child behind. Yet they send in too few troops, too lightly supported, and with too little planning. The vaunted historic investments actually increase total education spending by less than 1%. The mandates were air-dropped into inner cities without social, community, school, or occupational networks to overcome the effects of ingrained poverty. The law then says the troops will be punished if they don't succeed. If we are to bridge the achievement gap, then we must view our social and educational obligations in a far richer and more expansive light. Are We Bridging the Gap? There is some good news about the achievement gap. While the National Assessment of Educational Progress scores in reading and math have increased between four and six points over the past five years for white students, the scores for minority groups have increased six to 13 points during this same period.1 Likewise, college entrance rates have increased by 5% for white students over the past decade, while the rates for black students have increased by 12%. Increases for Hispanic students match those for white students.2 The achievement gap cannot be completely closed, however, by simply carrying out more intensely some program that zealous adherents claim will close it. Certainly, some reforms have shown positive long-term effects when administered consistently over time. Nevertheless, to deal effectively with the gap means that we must deal with the underlying problems of society.3 As any inner-city teacher can tell us (and many rural and suburban teachers as well), to pretend that schools can single-handedly overcome a lifetime of deprivation through a whole-school action plan or through rigorous and intensive adherence to a particular reading program is more an exercise in ritualistic magic than a realistic solution to social, economic, and personal problems. Yet many politicians and educators contend -- explicitly or implicitly and perhaps even complicitly -- that the schools can and must go it alone. Four central fallacies are employed to argue that schools can do this job by themselves. 1. The fallacy of the successful example. Countless profiles, filled with fine praise, have been written about successful schools. Typically, federal and state politicians stage a high-visibility media event to recognize a poor school that has registered high test scores despite the handicaps of poverty and inadequate facilities. (The norm is for the politician to be photographed reading to children of color.) The media message is that, because this school has achieved success through hard work, all similarly situated schools can do the same. Thus closing the achievement gap requires no additional resources. It is simply a matter of will and effort. Certainly, there are thousands of teachers, aides, and principals across our land who are genuine heroes. They do miraculous work in impossible circumstances. …