Final Reading Post for: In Scnools We Trust. (100 pages)

I've finally concluded in reading , In Schools We Trust by Deborah Meier.  The book focused on the American school system and standardized tests more than anything, but I was able to extract the information she had on the achievement gap. 

In my final reading Meier makes more points about the achievement gap.  She says there are studies that state  lower-class children who've lived in particularly harsh circumstances, weren't able to experience playful experiences where conceptual and abstract thought derived - thus these children weren't able to get a basis of higher level thinking from a young age.  Meier believes this to be a stretch, but overall she agrees with it. 

She believes that, "the best way to improve test scores was to do for all children even more what we did for the wealthy children - and that play was a vehicle for strong intellectual development in the young, regardless of class or race.  What was good for the rick was best for the poor too - only more so."

Others believe that the relationship between children, school and their families needs to be stronger and more aligned.  Children came to school with natural talents and skills that schools don't build upon and make stronger.  Poverty plays a constraint on young minds.

Another interesting point Meier made was that children on average about 10 new words per day, regardless of race or class.  In the classroom at the school she taught at, African-American students didn't talk or participate much in class, but outside of class (at recess, or with their families) they talked a lot, using the words - language is a strength in the Black community.  Meier believes that this isn't a surprising finding because of how "important storytelling, verbal eloquence and wordplay was in the black community." 

Yet she contradicts herself by insinuating that language is a reason that minority students fall behind their white peers.  When she taught students in central Harlem, she noticed that some weren't able to recognize  homonyms, homophones, and rhyming words because they didn't match the children's own dialects.  Words like "pin" and "pen" sounded the same even though they have different meaning and spellings.  Teachers saw these children as needing to be put in special education classes.  Behavior at home vs. behavior in the classroom is an issue as well.  Some students are unaware of how to act act school, but at home they resort to doing "anything" to get attention - so at school many (boys of any race) act out and defiant.  The polar opposite can happen as well.  Some students are unaware of the rules and in result, don't talk in class or use extreme caution.

Another point Meier makes that I agree with is, "Tests under predict actual achievement in life for women, African-Americans, Latinos and all low-income people, and they over predict the success for the wealthy and white and male." I believe this to be true with SAT and ACT exams as well.  She claims that these tests cater to people of different races and therefore people taking the exams will get different answers and therefore different scores.  The test score gap is something we've invented and can un-invent.  Meier also says that tests are a form of inter generational wealth transfer."  

Studies also show that minority students tend to underestimate their answers on standardized tests and change their answers frequently.  Also, black students tend to do worse on standardized tests when the stakes are highest.  Also, there is a skill-set that is needed to be successful on the SAT (most of the time).  Understanding how the tests works, learning how to make educated guesses, etc.  Students who are able to afford SAT Prep classes and private tutors are more likely to do better on these exams because they have  strategy.