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Strategies to Close the Gaps in Diverse Populations

Sub-Categories

African American Students
Hispanic / Latino Students
American Indian Students
Asian American Students
Special Education Students
Low Income Student Households
Homeless Students
Native Alaskan / Students
Immigrant or Migrant Students
Pacific Island Students
Social, Economic and Ethnic Bias Reform
Students with Disabilities
Gender Equity for Students
LGBT Student Programs
Religious Equity

External Sites

This Department of Education brief provides a blueprint outlining the reforms made in response to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  According to the blueprint, four improvements for American students are:  “(1) Improving teacher and principal effectiveness to ensure that every classroom has a great teacher; (2) Providing information to families to help them evaluate and improve their children’s schools, and to educators to help them improve their students’ learning; (3) Implementing college- and career-ready standards and developing improved assessments aligned with those standards; and (4) Improving student learning and achievement in America’s lowest-performing schools by providing intensive support and effective interventions.”

This EdChange report, authored by Paul C. Gorski, explores the intent that if the only way to ensure equity in education is to eradicate poverty itself, educators need to adopt some "research-proven steps", in order to bring about educational equality.   Promising practices and classroom strategies are provided in this report for educators to act upon currently.

  • Education Department Awards $52 Million in Grants to 22 Comprehensive Centers to Advance Reform Goals and Student Achievement

    • The U.S. Department of Education announced in September 2012 that 22 Comprehensive Centers across the country have been awarded a total of $52 million to increase the capacity of states to help districts and schools meet.  "These centers will help low-performing schools and districts close the achievement gap," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "They provide valuable support of the Administration's P-12 initiatives to ensure that every child is able to receive a high-quality education."  Grantees are required to develop five-year plans for carrying out activities that address state and regional needs.  This website also provides a list of grantees and award amounts.

  • First in the World - Educational Program Grants Supporting Innovation in Higher Education

    • This U.S. Department of Education website invites program applications for colleges and universities to reach low-income and first-generation students. 'First in the World' program will have two tiers: a “development” tier for innovative projects that are supported by “strong theory” (defined in the grant announcement) and larger grants in the “validation” tier will be awarded to applications for interventions supported by significant evidence. Since a key goal of the FITW program is building an evidence base, all funded grants will include rigorous evaluation.

  • For Each and Every Child: A Strategy for Education Equity and Excellence

    • The Equity and Excellence Committee’s report, ‘For Each and Every Child’ details a strategy for Equity and Excellence in education.  This report explores the educational competitive achievement gaps between U.S. students, the future labor force, and students across the world.  In 2009, the United States was 27th in math (not counting states or provinces that were ranked separately from their country). In terms of “advanced” performance on math, 16 countries produced twice as many high-achievers per capita as the United States.

  • Multicultural Pavilion: An EdChange project by Paul Gorski

    • This website offers materials, contacts, references and instructions of how to create positive multicultural educational environments. Highlights include teacher resources, workshops, awareness activities, equity case studies, printable handouts, equity and diversity quizzes and social justice resources.

  • Race to the Top-Equity and Opportunity: Support to Close Achievement and Opportunity Gaps

    • January 2014, this Department of Education website introduces the Federally Funded Program, 'Race to the Top-Equity and Opportunity'  whereas grantees would aggressively target opporunity and achievement gaps in American education.  The goal of this new competitive fund is to support states and districts in identifying and closing educational opportunity and achievement gaps and ensuring that all students—particularly those with the highest needs—graduate from high school college- and career-ready.

  • Setting the Pace: Expanding Opportunity for America’s Students under Race to the Top

    • The White House started with its signature education reform initiative, ‘Race to the Top’, a new Obama Administration new agenda that puts state-level innovation at center stage.  ‘Race to the Top’ served as an invitation for states’ best ideas on raising standards to prepare all students for college and careers, investing in America's teachers and school leaders, turning around the lowest-performing schools, and using data to inform support for educators and decision-making. With an investment of $4.35 billion, less than 1 percent of total U.S. educational  spending,  this relatively small component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has unleashed enormous positive change, empowering state and local leaders, educators, and communities to put their best ideas into action.