The intention in this study is to explore some of the issues involved in minority school performance, the theories regarding that performance, the success of government intervention, effect of socioeconomic status, and the experience of other countries.
Issues on minority school performance
One of the current trends in looking at school performance is measuring that performance by the use of standardized tests. These tests have been made the gauge of accomplishment, sometimes the sole gauge of improvement in schools and in minority school performance. However, there is controversy over both the testing and the improvements that have been claimed in several states.
For example, Texas has claimed a near-miracle in improved test scores, including the highest test scores for African-American and Latino students in the country. More intensive study of these gains, however, has indicated that they are somewhat illusory. They have been attributed to intensive testing drills, exclusion of many disadvantaged students from the testing process, and actual cheating on the part of some schools. While George Bush has claimed that the Texas miracle is real, educators are not that sure. The improved test results have not been followed by actual increased learning, nor improvements in college testing, college preparation, nor college grades (Weisman, 2000).
Theories regarding minority school performance
As noted in the introduction, there have been a plethora of theories regarding problems with minority/ethnic group school performance, or under-achievement. A historical overview might be helpful.
Certainly, the earliest explanations were racist ones, assuming that minority group members were inferior to European-American students. However, more credible theories made other assumptions, although these two often seem racist, or were labeled racially suspect at the time. For example, Moynihan (1965) contended that part of ...