Process Paper #2

Anna McInville

Department of Education, Loras College

EDU 265: Multicultural Education

Dr. Scheuerell

February 5th, 2021

frequently. There are multiple types of students that aren’t reaching the same types of

achievements as some of their peers. Some of these groups of students include English language

learners, minority students, and students that are in lower socio-economic statuses. There are

many factors that can contribute to these differences that have been seen. There are also many

factors that can be put into place to help these students. There is an achievement gap in the

United States that can be seen with students who are learning English, students who are in

minority groups, and students who are in lower socio-economic standing than their peers. This

achievement gap can be closed when using research-based instruction, being culturally inclusive

in the classroom, and allowing students access to nutrition and wellness.

There are many reasons that can contribute to the achievement gap in education in

relation to English language learners. One part of this gap is the type of classroom interaction

students are getting. “Researchers have long emphasized the importance of classroom interaction

for enhancing foreign language learning” (Gitsaki, 264, 2016). The interaction the students

receive in the classroom can play a large role in their understanding of learning the English

language. One aspect of interaction that can really help students is group work. “The students are

organized as participants in classroom interaction in which group work is considered to be a

crucial factor in the development of communicative competence” (Gitsaki, 268, 2016). Allowing

the students to work in groups helps the students to gain an understanding of how to

communicate with others. They can listen to see how their peers communicate with one another,

and this can help them to comprehend how to communicate. However, this is not always how

classrooms are run. Teachers will frequently have students try to memorize or routinely say

words over and over again. This type of learning is not helpful for the students. This can be seen
in a study done on Vietnamese children trying to learn English “It [study] also showed learner

variation and pointed out that rote-repeat instruction of subject-verb agreement is not effective

for long term understanding, but only for temporary learning” (Gitsaki, 264, 2016). Students are

going to struggle to learn English if they are given phrases or sentences to say over and over

again. This teaching style will help them to temporarily learn the information they need to know.

However, it will not help them in the long-term. Another study focused on young learners

learning a new language only from being put into an immersion school.

“After an academic year the learner probably knows enough vocabulary to be orally proficient.
However, when compared with an English native speaker of the same age, and other Persian
speakers in the same school, it is clear there are significant differences with native speaker
knowledge both in the quantity and quality of the words learned, and that these differences will
persist over many years. The assumption made by his teachers, that after a year such learners are
effectively native-like, appears quite wrong. This deficiency has the potential to compromise the
learners’ ultimate educational attainment” (Gitsaki, 302, 2016).

This study shows that teachers can sometimes think the student is “native-like” when they still

have a lot to learn. The student is doing well with vocabulary, so the teacher assumes that the

student can speak the language fairly fluently. However, the students have less words they know,

and the quality of the words they know are worse than a native speaker. This deficiency can

carry on with the student throughout the rest of their life, and it can create issues in the future.

One reason for the achievement gap for English language learners is due to the fact that their

knowledge of words does not have the quality that a native English speaker would have.

There are many ways to try and close the achievement gap for students who are English

Language Learners. One way to start to close the achievement gap is by using research-based

practices in the classroom (Zepeda, 2017). “These practices included providing vocabulary
acquisition instruction in multiple modalities that included opportunities for students to use

listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills” (Zepeda, 35, 2017). The students do best when

they are given multiple opportunities to work with the language. The students start to learn

vocabulary because they are encountering the words in many different ways. They aren’t just

seeing the word written down. They are seeing the word, saying the word, and writing the word.

This allows them to have a lot of practice with the new words they are learning. They also learn

well when teachers have the students in small groups for intervention support (Zepeda, 2017).

The small group setting gives students the opportunity to explore the language and work with

others who know the language well. Hearing other students talk in the language can help students

who are learning the language to have a better grasp on the language. They see how the native

English speakers are speaking, and it helps them to use similar ways of speaking when they talk.

Also, it is very important that teachers are trained to work with students who are English

Language Learners (Zepeda, 2017). If a teacher doesn’t know how to properly teach these

students, then the students are not going to get the information they need. “Teachers who felt

more confident in teaching ELLs used more of the best research-based practices as part of their

instruction” (Zepeda, 36, 2017). The teachers that were confident in their abilities were much

more likely to use the research-based practices that are going to help their students the most.

English Language Learners will do the best when they are taught research-based practices, and

when their teachers have the correct training.

There are many reasons that can contribute to the achievement gap in education in

relation to minority students. One way that the achievement gap can be seen is when people take

an assimilationist stance towards education. “Those who take an assimilationist stance argue that

it is essential for all members of the society to have a common base of knowledge. The key
element in this point of view is that all ethnic groups within the society should accept and adopt

the same values as the dominant group” (Au, 2, 2006). In the assimilationist model, students

should all have the same values and learning outcomes. This can be a struggle for students who

have a different culture than the dominant group. They want to learn from their own culture and

viewpoint, but they are forced to learn from the dominant viewpoint. This information may be

new to them, and it may not interest them. These factors can cause the student to be less excited

about learning about something that the dominant culture students may already know a lot about.

This can come into play when talking about a core curriculum. The core curriculum is aimed at

“giving students a common base of knowledge” (Au, 3, 2006). However, when thinking about

this topic more deeply, one has to consider what every student’s common base of knowledge

should be (Au, 2006). This leads to debate as to what should be included in the core curriculum.

Should the core curriculum just include the culture of the dominant group, or should it include

the culture of minority groups? If the core curriculum doesn’t include the culture of minority

groups, it can limit the types of knowledge that students have. The core curriculum normally

only encompasses the dominant culture. This can then have negative effects on minority groups

because they might not have the same background or knowledge on topics that the dominant

group does. Another issue is the amount of time that black students have been allowed to attend

schools compared to white students. “The exclusion of Black students from the public education

system in this country predates the formation of the United States as a sovereign nation” (Arnett,

13, 2019). The black students are going to be at a disadvantage because they were excluded from

public school for so long during the time of slavery. Even when they started to be included in

schools, it was segregated. Black students and white students went to separate schools. These

schools were not equal, and it took a while for black students and white students to be able to go
to school together. Now, black students have to play a game of catch up to get to the same

playing field as white students. This exclusion in the past affects the amount of black students

that were able to get an education. Without an education, it can be harder to help your children

get an education. This disproportionately affects black students because there was a time when

they weren’t allowed to get an education. If a child’s parents didn’t get an education because it

was illegal, then it can be difficult to help teach their children when they are now legally allowed

to get an education. The past and the core curriculum can contribute to the achievement gap for

minority students.

There are many ways to try and close the achievement gap for students who are minority

students. One way to work towards closing the achievement gap for students is to have

“culturally responsive curriculum and instruction” in school (Bergeson, 2, 2008). A culturally

responsive curriculum would allow for all students to see parts of their culture in the learning in

the classroom. Much of classroom learning has been “white washed.” This means that most of

the teaching that is done in school is focusing on the culture of white people. Changing the

classroom to be more culturally responsive would allow for more cultures than just the white

culture to be learned about. If a student is learning about something from their culture, they are

much more likely to be engaged, and they will feel more welcome in the classroom. They will

feel like they are an important part of classroom life, and they will be more likely to get involved

in learning in all subjects. Another way to close the achievement gap is to have “a commitment

to high achievement for all students that intentionally guides policies and practices” (Bergeson,

2, 2008). Having a commitment to all students helps ensure that all students will succeed in the

classroom. This includes making policies that are inclusive to all students. Having these types of

policies will help students and teachers to expect the most from each other. Students will expect
high achievement from their teachers, and teachers will expect high achievement from their

students. This will allow for more commitment and support in the classroom. Having an

inclusive classroom and inclusive policies can help minority students to succeed in the

classroom.

There are many reasons that can contribute to the achievement gap in education in

relation to lower socio-economic students. One of the factors that can contribute to this

achievement gap is the amount of funding schools are getting. Some schools have been

“persistently unequally funded and under resourced” (Arnett, 14, 2019). Some schools have

constantly not received the money they need. Students that go to these schools are not going to

have as many resources available to them as students who go to a school that is well funded. This

lack of resources can then impact the quality of learning that the students are receiving. There are

a few other differences that can be seen in higher education when it comes to socio-economic

differences. “Overall, they show a marked difference in higher education access, retention, and

impact of degree after graduation based on socio-economic status. Low-income students are less

prepared, more likely to go to vocational school and community colleges, and often drop out of

four-year institutions when they transfer” (Berg, 2, 2010). These students didn’t have the same

resources and skills as well funded schools, so they were not as prepared when they went into

higher education. Since they are less prepared, they struggled to complete their schooling. They

didn’t receive the proper resources when they were younger, so they struggle when they reach

harder grades. Another reason that can contribute to the achievement gap is that students in

poverty don’t get the nutrition they need. “Poverty has been described as an economic state that

does not allow for the provision of basic family and child needs, such as adequate food, clothing,

and housing” (Wood, 707, 2003). When people are in a lower socio-economic status, they can
also be in poverty. This may lead them to not having enough resources. They may not get

enough food or nutrition, and they may also not have adequate housing. If they don’t have the

basic needs, they aren’t going to be able to focus in school. They may be more consumed in

worrying about where they are sleeping, or what they are going to eat instead of paying attention

in school. Since they are struggling to pay attention, they may not do as well in school. Schools

that are under-resourced can contribute to the achievement gap for lower socio-economic

students.

There are many ways to try and close the achievement gap for students who are lower

socio-economic status students. One way to try and close the achievement gap for these students

is to make sure their basic needs are met (Hassel, 2018). One way to do this is including meals

for students (Hassel, 2018). This could include the free and reduced lunch that children receive at

school, as well as sending backpacks with food home with the students on the weekends.

Students need nutrition in order to be able to focus and do well in school. If they get this basic

need of nutrition met, then they will be able to spend more of their energy focusing on school.

Giving students food allows them to have the opportunity to take their mind off of finding their

next meal and focusing on the math lesson in school that day. Another way to try and close this

gap is through “fostering wellness and joy via school-based health clinics, social-emotional

learning, and other building blocks of academic success, and addressing mental health

challenges” (Hassel, 1, 2018). Helping students learn about mental health challenges and social-

emotional learning can really help them. This can foster an environment where it is safe to talk

about what they are going through. These students and their families may be facing many

challenges in their everyday lives. Talking about their wellness and these tough topics can allow

the students to explore who they are and how they feel. Allowing them to experience these things
can help them to open up and feel more comfortable in the school setting. When the students feel

more comfortable, then they are much more likely to learn and be more invested in school. If

they feel safe in school, they will excel. School can allow them a time during the day to feel safe,

even when they might not feel safe at home. This feeling of safety allows bonds between

students and other students to form, as well as bonds between students and teachers. These bonds

can help the student to seek help when they need it. They can also help the student to let down

their walls and try their best to learn, even if they may struggle. Allowing the students access to

nutrition and the feeling of safety can help close the achievement gap.

There is an achievement gap in the United States that can be seen when comparing the

dominant group to English language learners, minority students, and students with lower socio-

economic status. However, these achievement gaps can be shrunk through instruction that is

research based, having a classroom that is culturally inclusive, and giving students nutrition and

a safe feeling at school. English language learners can often be seen as having the same

understanding of English as native English speakers, even when the quality of the words they

know is not as high. Their understanding of English words can increase with research-based

instruction on vocabulary. Minority students have been excluded from public schools in the past.

This can contribute to some of the achievement gap that they are facing today. This can start to

be corrected by having classrooms that are inclusive of all cultures. Students with lower socio-

economic status often attend schools that do not have enough resources. This can affect these

students when they reach higher grade levels. A way to combat this is through giving students

the nutrition they need to apply themselves to learning in school. There are many different

concepts that can relate and contribute to the achievement gap, and there are many ways that the

achievement gap can be closed.

Arnett, A. (2019). Let’s Stop Calling It an Achievement Gap: How Public Education in the

United States Maintains Disparate Educational Experiences for Students of Color.

Information Age Publishing.

Au, K. (2006). Multicultural Issues and Literacy Achievement. Routledge.

Berg, G. (2010). Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in

America. Routledge.

Bergeson, T., & Davidson, C. (2008). A Plan to Close the Achievement Gap for African

American Students.

Gitsaki, C., & Alexiou, T. (2016). Current Issues in Second/foreign Language Teaching and

Teacher Development: Research and Practice. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Hassel, B., & Hassel, E., & Dean, S., & Brooks-Uy, V. (2018). Closing Achievement Gaps in

Diverse and Low-Poverty Schools: An Action Guide for District Leaders. Oak

Foundation.

Wood, D. (2003). Effect of child and Family Poverty on Child Health in the United States.

Pediatrics.

Zepeda, L. (2017). Closing the achievement gap for English language learners: Preparing

Educators with Effective Instructional Strategies to meet the Needs for all English
learners.