The very concept of the "achievement gap" is a fraud. It assumes that the correct result in schools is equal educational outcomes among different ethnic groups. The same is true of the concept of "underrepresentation." There is a simple problem with these concepts: It is resolutely ignorant to assume that there will be equal outcomes among ethnic groups. Thomas Sowell has richly detailed the myriad ways in which different ethnic groups have always behaved differently and had disparate outcomes in life, around the world, and throughout history. As Sowell points out, there is no basis in human experience or in logic to expect that different ethnic groups would have identical outcomes. Different ethnic groups have vastly different attitudes, habits, and preferences with regard to many aspects of life, including education. Berkeley Professor John Ogbu (1939-2003), who was black, concluded exactly that in his incredibly important work on black student achievement...So much in education is culture.
The "achievement gap" is just as natural as different cultural preferences in music, the arts, family arrangements, personal space, and sports.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Is The Achievement Gap A Fraud?
This article is sure not for those who get the vapors easily, or for those who cannot set aside their preconceived notions:
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So maybe, just maybe, different groups are successful at those things they value....so perhaps because so many professional athletes are minorities, minority students are more drawn to such activities. Because many Asian students see role models that are involved in highly skilled jobs like medicine or engineering, they pursue those activities that help them achieve that. So what does this say about those demographic populations that fail to achieve? Could it be that instead of their educational experiences, their family and personal experiences shape their achievement? I must go and ponder this.....
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