Identify and combat the Achievement Gap (the persistent disparity in academic achievement between minority and disadvantaged students and their white counterparts)1 and utilize what teachers, parents, and primarily, school directors and staff can do to help students adjust their academic self-perception.
By Honorine Perera
https://www.rismedia.com/2018/10/24/achieve-success-working-others/
BACKGROUND
PROBLEM 1.) Economically Disadvantaged students might not have the support systems, prior knowledge, skills, and/or experiences or access to the mandatory foundations of educational success leading to gaps or lost opportunities as compared to their peers.
PROBLEM 2.) Disparity in attendance rates, academic progress and course credit, STAAR EOC testing performance, and graduation rates. Root Cause: gaps in continuous years of education but also face obstacles in language acquisition and cultural assimilation.
PROBLEM 3.) Accountability: Closing the Gaps, ELPS: ESL/LEP students are lower than the state target in meeting the English Language Proficiency Status. Root Cause: ESL/LEP students need programs and resources to support their cultural and academic language acquisition at different levels to create a support system for growth. Students need programs within the campus system to help identify and achieve valuable current and postsecondary academic success.
Definition by the University of Pennsylvania.
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
Accomplish implementation of parental based programs, student-based programs (ex. study clubs), teacher-based programs (ex. Teacher Mentors), and school-network based program (ex. School/district weekly newsletter, Friday Parent-Student Update emails) to improve communication and important information exchange, approachability, and relationships
Provide equal college and post-high school preparatory information (ex. Career prep. courses and pathways, SAT and ACT instructions sessions, scholarship and work/internship opportunities)
Offer training, resources, and aid for all instructors to affect student attendance, engaging and meaningful learning, and overall minority success rate
Implement assigned school day tutorial and EOC or unit review opportunities with supported intervention and in the area of math, English, and science, and social studies.
Host EOC and STAAR test pull out tutorials with math and ELA emphasis during the school day; campus intervention courses in math and ELA (ex. practical writing, strategic learning, ESL math, etc.)
ESTIMATED BUDGET
$30,000 per year for a school with 150 kids per grade level (estimated cost of additional textbook, course curriculum, and test prep. practice- allows around $200 worth of resources to be spent per student)