Can LHS Fix the Achievement Gap?

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The Bell staff prepared for an uncomfortable conversation. We would discuss the achievement gap, the distance in educational achievement between groups of students at the school. After investigating the topic for an In-Depth Achievement Gap (READ the STORY) in The Bell’s February issue, we wondered, can LHS close the achievement gap? In the end, 13 staff members voted that the school could close the gap, while eight didn’t think so.

The Bell staff believes that not all intelligences are academic. Students who don’t excel in math and reading may be great musicians or artists. Those students are taught early on that the most important intelligence is through academics, but just like it’s unreasonable to expect a fish to climb a tree, these students are talented in other aspects of life. The Bell staff thinks it’s important for LHS to continue showing students that while it is necessary to apply oneself in core classes, other areas of expertise are just as valuable.

While the expectations at school may be close to the same for every student, the ones at home are not. One teacher knows that while the school cannot change a student’s home life, administrators and teachers can change students’ school experience. The only problem with that start is that we believe it needs to happen sooner. The majority of Bell staff members said the acceptance of different intelligences, the knowledge of a student’s capabilities and the expectations to which they apply themselves, need to be taught earlier than high school, regardless of where one receives elementary or middle school education.

The Bell staff agreed the achievement gap is not always a matter of choice. While the achievement gap findings group people of the same race, gender and income level, students are not defined by these groups alone. Each student has a complex identity with their own experiences that has made them who they are today. These diverse complexities should become our strengths.

So, what started out as an uncomfortable discussion concluded with a surprising amount of hopeful thinking. The Bell staff believes that students can and should up-the-ante in applying themselves and taking advantage of the many opportunities LHS offers to bridge the gap. The school offers tutoring and mentoring sponsored by the Clay County African American Legacy during Liberty Hour every week. We’ve got a fairly new movement called First Generation to help students be the first in their families to go to college. We’ve got clubs like Women’s Issues Now, Diversity, and League of Latin American Citizens. Plus, every student in our building gets to take the ACT for free. Despite being a part of certain groups, students are capable of so much more than they believe. There is always room to grow.