The real problem in education: the 'opportunity gap' - The Washington Post - 33 views
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American society has the means to provide supports for communities, for families, for students, and for teachers – to ensure that children are safe and healthy and ready to learn, that they have access to rich learning environments in schools and also in their homes and in their communities, and that they have qualified, experienced teachers.
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"We can build on children's strengths, supporting them and challenging them to excel. The good news is that closing the opportunity gap doesn't require a magical quick fix; the bad news is that to do it we need to stop grasping at those magical quick fixes. Instead, we must turn to evidence-based, best practices."
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"Our intense focus on achievement gaps needs to be combined with an equally intense focus on opportunity gaps. The status quo of test-based accountability reform needs to give way to new, evidence-based approaches dedicated to building the capacity to accomplish accountability goals." This article by The Washington Post talks about how the opportunity gap is very large in the United States of America. It is the opinion of the author of the article that the opportunity gap needs to be reduced.
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This article isn't only telling about about opportunity gaps, it gives ideas of how we can fix or improve the problem. It tells about the strengths, weaknesses, and other areas of improvement that the education system has and tells about the struggles some areas have. PrivateRead LaterCache Recent Tags: Savecancel "
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This article isn't only telling about about opportunity gaps, it gives ideas of how we can fix or improve the problem. It tells about the strengths, weaknesses, and other areas of improvement that the education system has and tells about the struggles some areas have. PrivateRead LaterCache Recent Tags: Savecancel "
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"In particular, we have failed to build capacity or increase opportunities to learn." This sentence is a good example of why people feel so strongly about fixing opportunity gaps in education and supports their claims that some kids have an unfair disadvantage. Education, in years past, has been thought of as the equalizer, giving opportunities to learn to all kids, no matter their background. Today, people argue that children do not receive the same benefits as a reflection of many issues, not just teaching staff. While in many cases I agree that America is facing an opportunity gap in education driven by child poverty as well as economic and family struggles, I feel that people neglect to notice the strides we have made in education. In Henrico, for example, kids have a chance to attend a high school with a specific 'specialty center' in which the curriculum revolves around a more definitive subject, prepping them for future job or college opportunities. This is something that would never have been available years ago. This article directly relates to my opinion on the discussion question, but in some ways, contradicts it. I do not agree that we have failed to increase opportunities to learn, for instance. The main idea behind this article was that child poverty and poor teaching was the root of opportunity gaps in education. I feel that this is a poor reflection of our school systems because of the many programs we have created to further the education of our children.
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"The old Gaps 1.0 conversation simply cannot get us to where we need to go. Children learn when they have opportunities to learn. When denied those opportunities, they fall behind, and we get the devastating achievement gaps. But when they are provided with rich opportunities to learn, they thrive, and the achievement gaps close." In this article, it states that children learn when they have opportunities to learn. They fall behind when denied those opportunities, but when they are provided with rich opportunities, they learn well, and there is no education gap. Although, as of now, the country has failed to increase these opportunities to learn, creating an education gap.
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"In particular, we have failed to build capacity or increase opportunities to learn. Our intense focus on achievement gaps needs to be combined with an equally intense focus on opportunity gaps. The status quo of test-based accountability reform needs to give way to new, evidence-based approaches dedicated to building the capacity to accomplish accountability goals." This article is about how America is not putting their focus on the right issues when it comes to education. Instead of focusing on closing achievement gaps, America should start turning their gaze on how opportunity gaps are influencing the lives of students all over the country.
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"Our intense focus on achievement gaps needs to be combined with an equally intense focus on opportunity gaps. The status quo of test-based accountability reform needs to give way to new, evidence-based approaches dedicated to building the capacity to accomplish accountability goals."
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There has been race and gender inequality in the past. It was thought, education was "equal". It's not. The good news is we are getting closer, each day, to closing the gap.
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"In particular, we have failed to build capacity or increase opportunities to learn. Our intense focus on achievement gaps needs to be combined with an equally intense focus on opportunity gaps. The status quo of test-based accountability reform needs to give way to new, evidence-based approaches dedicated to building the capacity to accomplish accountability goals." I believe that there is no opportunity gap in Henrico because of the fact that we have so many options for high school specialty centers, extracurricular activities and clubs, sports, etc. These things give us a good amount of opportunity in order to "close" the gap and give us a well rounded education that can sustain us for a lifetime.
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"Much has happened in the last 30 years. But let's fast forward, past the 1989 Charlottesville Education Summit and past President Clinton's "Goals 2000" legislation in 1994. Let's jump right to the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001. That law, along with the current administration's Race to the Top policies, has placed American school reform on a stark path best defined as "test-based accountability reform" - just as was called for 30 years ago in A Nation at Risk."