The article criticizes the educational achievement gap and terms it a social injustice regarding Catholics’ teaching that emphasizes the need to focus on human welfare and human dignity. The education achievement gap is against the common good as it leaves people economically and socially marginalized hindering them from fully participating in societal social activities as well as exploring their full potentials to meet their material needs through work. Poor education structure that promotes divisions across socioeconomic and racial divide together with inappropriate teacher practices has been pointed out as the major influential factors in perpetuating this vice. The article presents integrated continuous measures taken by Dayton Early College Academy in curbing the social injustice of the education achievement gap through modification and refinement of institution schools and teacher preparation programs.
The strategies employed by Dayton Early College Academy in eliminating the social injustice of the educational achievement gap incorporate the Cultural Proficiency Model as it is continuous and evolves over a long period of time since the strategy involves gradual of core values and behavior change to teacher candidates and consequently future teachers still in school. For instance, the strategies aimed at ensuring students receive equal quality education countrywide are just as dictated by the model as it includes principles of equal access to service delivery without discrimination. The establishment of a clinical rounds model that provides teachers with a platform to share their teaching experiences and learn from one another reciprocates the transfer of knowledge and skills among colleagues and partners advocated in the Cultural Proficiency Model. The structural modification of the education system incorporates cultural knowledge through readings and exposure to different cultural environments facilitated by environmental fieldwork assignments as described by Collopy, Connie & Taylor (2012).
The educational achievement gap is indeed a social injustice as it is against positive human development. One of the factors determining an individual’s socioeconomic status is the level of education since family income depends on college attainment as well as grades as illustrated by Collopy, Connie & Taylor (2012). Therefore, the educational achievement gap prevents people from fully exploiting their capabilities and abilities and entirely participate in the societal social, political, and economic activities for their own benefit and growth as well as the development of the communities consequently widening the socioeconomic rift.
The vice is being cultivated and encouraged by deep routed inner negative assumptions that delineate and discriminate students along with racial and socioeconomic classes together, in turn, contributes to the provision of low-quality education to minority students together with inappropriate education curriculum. Therefore, the approach established by Dayton Early College Academy in stemming the vice that focuses on gradually and systematically eradicating its root causes by concentrating on transforming the institutional school programs to accommodate cultural diversity through reading and field experiences and by mobilizing candidate teachers to focus on bringing out the best in every student without discrimination and promotion of sharing of teaching experience as well as learning from one another is effective and ought to be adopted across the country as their efforts have had a positive impact as indicated by Collopy, Connie & Taylor (2012).
In conclusion, the educational achievement gap is a social injustice that hinders individuals from fully exploiting their potential and participating in societal activities for their own benefit and the development of their communities. Dayton Early College Academy has effectively implemented strategies that focus on transforming the institutional school programs to accommodate cultural diversity, promoting sharing of teaching experience, and learning from one another. These efforts have had a positive impact in curbing the social injustice of the education achievement gap, and such strategies should be adopted across the country. By doing so, we can create an equitable education system that promotes human dignity and welfare, which aligns with the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is time for all stakeholders in the education sector to come together and work towards eliminating the educational achievement gap as a social injustice.
Reference
Collopy, R., Connie, B., & David, A. Taylor. (2012). “The Educational Achievement Gap as a Social Justice Issue for Teacher Educators.” Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practices. Print.
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