Student Research Projects

America’s Minority Students Still Lag Behind: The Achievement Gap, Its Causes, and Possible Solutions

Student Name(s)	Eileen De La Cruz
Faculty Mentor(s)	Dr. B. Lively
Department	Education
Course	INST 482: Issues in Education

Abstract

Numerous studies point out that American minority students’ academic performance falls greatly behind those of their white counterparts. This discrepancy, known as the “achievement gap,” is a major problem not only in education, but for the United States, as today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce and leaders. This study investigates the perceived causes of the gap and possible solutions to decrease or eliminate it. Survey results indicate that teacher candidates are more aware of causes of the achievement gap than possible solutions.