The topic of achievement gaps between students of color and White students is much discussed and analyzed throughout our country. Schools that have a diverse student population and have subgroup achievement gaps are slow to adopt change that can close these gaps. One area schools need to examine is the diversity of their teacher workforce. The…

The achievement gap is a notorious construct of 21st-century schools and refers to the achievement of marginalized groups as compared to their White counterparts. This qualitative action research studied this phenomenon in a small, suburban school district experiencing shifting demographics by analyzing educators' perceptions and attitudes for…

Scholars have spent decades trying to determine the cause and solution to an overwhelming issue called the achievement gap. The achievement gap refers to the gaps in academic achievement among certain subgroups of students. One of the most prevalent determiners between those who achieve academic success and those who do not is race. The majority…

Black males continue to be the lowest-performing subgroup on state standardized tests in the United States of America. A very large majority of teachers are White females. This study examined the impact of White female teachers' beliefs and actions on the achievement of Black male students. Data was collected via interviews with White female…

Although developing a positive relationship between teachers and students is important for students to thrive in school, white teachers frequently fail to do this with their Black students. The failure of white teachers to connect with their Black students contributes to inequities such as disparities in academic achievement, the…

Closing the achievement gap among culturally and linguistically diverse students has been challenging for educators, school leaders, and policymakers. With the growing diversity of the K-12 public school student body, schools must prepare to confront this divide systematically and vigorously. Policies that promote culturally responsive teaching…

The US teaching force remains disproportionately white while the student body grows more diverse. It is therefore important to understand how and under what conditions white teachers learn racial competency. This study applies a mixed-methods approach to investigate the hypothesis that Black peers improve white teachers' effectiveness when…

This paper explores the ways in which success in school is constructed by a majority White teaching staff during day-to-day classroom practices and schoolwide policies, such as the disciplinary systems at a "no-excuses" charter school in one of the largest urban districts in the U.S. Stakeholders were assessed by interviews and…

The achievement gap between elementary students of Color, particularly, economically disadvantaged elementary students of Color and White students continues to be a concern. The problem in this study was that some White teachers working in urban elementary school districts have failed to include CRP practices in their instruction of economically…

This study investigates whether teaching practices of non-minorities who teach Black students has an impact on the achievement gap between Black and White students. There is a lack of awareness of culturally relevant teaching in the U.S public school system (Epstein, 2005). Per NCES (2015), 80% of public schools have a high density of Black…

This paper presents an analysis of how education reform in Denver Public Schools (DPS) fails to reach its targeted goal of closing achievement gaps between white students and Students of Colour based on its investment in Whiteness. Using a theoretical framework grounded in critical whiteness studies, we trace a history in DPS that includes legal…

Racial segregation has been an ongoing issue in American education and one of the leading contributors to the racial achievement gap. Prior to the Brown v. Board decision of 1954, Black Americans were legally relegated to substandard schools and educational opportunities. Post-Brown, racial segregation continues to manifest as a result of "de…

In suburban classrooms across the country, the demographics of students are becoming more racially diverse. Although the student population continues to change, the teaching population remains the same with more than 80% identified as White. This qualitative, phenomenological case study employed semi-structured interview approach to capture the…