Canary in the Mine: The Achievement Gap Between Black and White Students, The

Author: Singham, M.
Publisher: Phi Delta Kappa
Publication Date: 1998, September
Publication City: Bloomington
Publication State: IN
Journal: Phi Delta Kappan
Journal Volume: 80(1)
Pages: 9-15
Full text available online at: http://lsc-net.terc.edu/do.cfm/paper/8108/show/use_set-l_equity

Abstract (written by WestEd)

Singham reviews alternative interpretations of the achievement gap between two groups, white and black students. The socioeconomic model blames the economic disparities that can be traced back to slavery and other institutional oppressions. The sociopathic model locates the problem within "black culture," a failure to adopt the values and work ethic of the white culture. The genetic model points to evolutionary selection that has produced a disparity in genetic intelligence. "Statistics for whites are usually taken as a measure of the 'natural' state of society, and black statistics are used as a measure of the problem," according to Singham. This leads to an expectation that blacks "act white." The author then reviews research that refutes the three models as flawed interpretations of the data and presents his viewpoint about the problem and (one part of) its solution.

Singham discusses how Treisman, a mathematics professor at University of California, Berkeley, became concerned about the low achievement and graduation rates of blacks in his (and others') courses. He noticed that Chinese students tended to socialize and study together, sharing tips and strategies for success; while black students tended to socialize together but study individually, and, thus, be more likely to learn at a slower rate and not learn from their mistakes. Treisman formed mixed workshop groups based on race and prior achievement and gave them more challenging problems than normal to work on. He found that black students' performance improved by as much as one letter grade.

Singham concluded that the primary problem of the achievement gap is not how blacks view education but how we teach all children. The traditional model largely requires students to work alone or to listen to an instructor, with the focus on remembering facts unrelated to their interests or immediate experiences (but are told the information will be useful in the future). Alternatively, active learning and cooperative group methods emphasize the intrinsic rewards inherent in a challenging project that is completed by a team of students. In short, Singham posits that the achievement gap can be closed, with all groups improving and learning, by focusing on powerful instructional strategies for all students that fit the particular needs of the underachieving group(s).


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Bo De Long-Cotty, Senior Program Associate at WestEd RTEC, says, "This wonderful article addresses the achievement gap and its social, economic, and political consequences. It presents new ways to look at the disparities between education for black and white students, and cautions against one-shot solutions."