Closing the Education Gap

What exactly is the education gap and how do we close it?

 The education gap refers to the disparity in education that occurs between minority students and their dominant counterparts. The gap in education is measured in the subject areas of math, reading, writing, and science. African American and Hispanic students are known to have the lowest high school and college graduation rate and are only half as likely to earn a college degree.

Even with these challenges, educators and policy makers are working to overcome the obstacles in educational achievement. For example:

-Early Childhood Education

-Improving Teacher Quality

-College Preparation

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Grading schools

Public schools in Florida are graded based on how students perform on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The FCAT determines if the school passes or fails, how each student stands with others in their age group, whether the student will receive a high school diploma, and if they will be accepted into a college/university or community college.

The Florida Department of Education regulates the grading of public schools and are based on writing, reading, math, and science. The test totals 800 points all together and schools receive one point for each student who scores high on the FCAT. Passing schools consists of 528 points or more and a school is considered failing if the school received 395 points or less. 

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Teacher Training History

In the early 1600's anyone male who graduated high school and could pass as literate could qualify as a teacher. Teacher training soon became available in secondary schools in the 1820’s. The first normal school was established in 1823 in Massachusetts by Samuel R. Hall. Normal schools were two year institutions to prepare high school graduates to become teachers. These teachers used methods of memorization and recitation in teaching and maintained order with stern discipline.

In the 1980's the refrom movement prompted demands to reexamine the way teachers were being educated. The major initiatives of the reform movement argued that in order to improve education as a whole, teacher training must first be improved.

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