Group items tagged

The authors share the difference of how the education gap between minority and low-income students compares to the fortunate white students. These low-income students are usually seen in urban schools that are at a disadvantage because of their label as a "failing school". The authors conduct a chart that shows the number of free or reduced lunches, percent of minority students, the student teacher ratio and the percent of poverty rate of failing schools, choice schools and the mean difference in schools in North Carolina. The rates in failing schools were substantially higher than the ones in choice schools. This process was only conducted in North Carolina, but it would be very similar for all states.

The authors research the effects of public school choice in the state of South Carolina under the No Child Left Behind Act. It has been found that public schools are labeled "in need of improvement" if there is a large minority of students and a large amount of poverty independent of rural, suburban, or urban location. The article touches on all the spatial aspects of the academic achievement gap between public schools and how rural failing schools are the most disadvantaged. The research in the article is useful but it is limited to the state of South Carolina.

This article talks about how race and ethics differs the way parents talk to their children. It shows that white mothers are more likely to talk and read to their children every day than black and hispanic mothers. It talks about how this affects the childrens readiness and there is a 20 to 25 precent gap with children that are white and other minority.

The authors of this article talk about he achievement gap among students that are wealthier compared to lower class. The wealthier student get a lot more of the needs and get the support from home, while the lower class do not get as much and do not always have that support. In this article many studies were conducted. These are reliable studies that show how poverty among students can cause more problems in a childs academic development.

The author in this article explains that there needs to be a solution to find how to close the achievement gap. They thought that more programs for the children would decrease the problem, but it is still a problem today. The author came up with that if parents get more involved in their childrens school work, then theie achievement will increase.

Colletti,Carolyn. "Girls & Money: A Coordinated Approach to Financial Literacy." Independent School 63.1 (Fall2003 2003): 64-65. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Roesch Lib., U. of Dayton, Dayton, OH.14 Mar. 2009. .

Colletti discusses the coordinated approach to financial literacy for girls that was started by the National Coalition of Girls' Schools in the U.S. The article stresses the importance for woman and girls to have sound financial literacy for success. Children have an understanding of finance and fairness even at a very young age. Therefore, young children are capable of learning about financial literacy at a very early age. The article also shares results of a financial skills study of teenage girls. Financial literacy education is a tool to help bridge the gap that woman have experienced throughout the ages.

Hill and Barth discuss the Federal Government's attempt to raise student achievement, especially in standardized testing, with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The NCLB's intent was to limit academic achievement gaps in students who are minorities, disabled, financially disadvantaged, or limited English proficiency. One of the biggest problems that has arisen from the law is teacher retention. The NCLB requires highly qualified teachers, but all the highly qualified teachers are not staying. The authors focus on this huge problem of teacher retention.

Comments on the proposed rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to close the gap of the graduation rates of black and white college athletes in the United States.

Colletti discusses the coordinated approach to financial literacy for girls that was started by the National Coalition of Girls' Schools in the U.S. The article stresses the importance for woman and girls to have sound financial literacy for success. Children have an understanding of finance and fairness even at a very young age. Therefore, young children are capable of learning about financial literacy at a very early age. The article also shares results of a financial skills study of teenage girls. Financial literacy education is a tool to help bridge the gap that woman have experienced throughout the ages.

The author of this article emphasizes on the relationship between urban schools and other shcools. They realize the achievement gap and how it is increasing over the years. The students in urban schools were put through programs to help thier knowledge and to challenge them. The students of the school were to take classes on technology to help further technology because of how much we use it today. This will help students further thier knowledge and help them grow as an individual.

This athor of the article talks about some ways in which the achievment gap can be closed. they discussed how having school year round could help, but by doing studies it has not increased the students knowledge. There are more practical solutions that need to evolve. The author suggests that if the student is taught reading strategies from their home life, then it will impact the students literacy greatly.

The British tackled their own education gender gap by letting boys be boys -- with mixed results.

The author here starts out with a story or a project that was conducted in her classroom. She had a consultant come in to try and help her students with reading. he believed that building a relationship was necessary and to do before and post background information was necessary also. They then go into talking about how the No Child Left behind Act is sometimes hard to meet the requirements and many students may not meet them.

the author in this article descirbes how the transition from middle school to high school can cause a lot of stress on a student, which can allow them to not work to their full potential. So many urban schools are now considered failing schools, which means there is unequal learning going on. With the transition there are a change in expectations, social changes and it is a big adjustment. The author mentions a very important part where the achievement gap is widening and oppurtunities are becoming non existent.

This author suggests a way to improve the quality of teachers in urban school districts. This will hopefull help the students and close the achievement gap. It says that Teach for American should adopt the teacher residency to help qualify the teachers. Urban schools are in need of well prepared teachers. The program will screen and recruit college grads that are strong and will make a difference in the urban school districts and will change a childs life.

The fourth quarter college plans have continued to decrease due to the economic crisis. The assets in 529 college savings plans fell over 21% from last year. Investors are optimistic and the data shows that people are still attempting to save for college. Unfortunately many parents do not know how to save or how much they will need for college. College expenses continue to increase faster that wages and have increased at a rate of 5.7% a year. If this trend continues the gap between income and college tuition is going to be even more difficult to cope with.

Health literacy is basic reading and numerical skills that allow a person to function in the health care environment. Even though most adults read at an eighth-grade level, and 20 percent of the population reads at or below a fifth-grade level, most health care materials are written at a 10th-grade level. Older patients are particularly affected because their reading and comprehension abilities are influenced by their cognition and their vision and hearing status. Inadequate health literacy can result in difficulty accessing health care, following instructions from a physician, and taking medication properly. Patients with inadequate health literacy are more likely to be hospitalized than patients with adequate skills. Patients understand medical information better when spoken to slowly, simple words are used, and a restricted amount of information is presented. For optimal comprehension and compliance, patient education material should be written at a sixth-grade or lower reading level, preferably including pictures and illustrations. All patients prefer reading medical information written in clear and concise language. Physicians should be alert to this problem because most patients are unwilling to admit that they have literacy problems. (Am Fam Physician 2005;72:463-8. Copyright© 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians.)