I have decided to change my initial topic of teen aged drug use in Brookline to the academic achievement gap between minority students and white students. I did a project on this topic last school year and am still very interested in it. Questions I will attempt to answer are "Why is there an achievement gap?" "What can we as the Brookline/Boston community do to close the gap?" "Do we solely blame the students or do we solely blame the teachers and administration for allowing some students to fall behind others?" "Is there an achievement gap in private schools and boarding schools as well?" "Does the achievement only affect minorities who live in public housing or in a lower economic setting?" "Have there been any improvements with the closing of the gap in recent years?" And the list goes on...
I'm not sure if I should only focus on African-Americans/Blacks or if I should focus on all minorities students in general? I'm leaning towards primarily focusing on black students. I will talk to administration in BHS such as Dr. Vick, Dr. Mims, Mr. Lezama, Dr. Bob, and some teachers as well. I want to get their input on why there is an achievement gap and what they think are possible solutions/ways to close it.
As for sources, there are several books written on the academic achievement gap that give reasons for the gap and possible solutions as well.
I know a good amount about my topic that creates a good starting foundation for my research.
I know that you already know some about this topic, and that's great. As I mentioned with your proposal, just make sure it's not something you're sick of.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm most interested in the question of whether the gap is a racial gap or a class-based gap--one of the topics you mentioned. I also wonder if the recent research suggests that anything is working to close the gap. I'll be interested to see what you discover.
assignment complete but a little late = 10/15