The achievement gap between white and non-white students: a conceptual  (Page 8/19)

The majority of the resentment held toward undocumented family units stems from the idea that undocumented families are a burden to society (Ramirez&De La Cruz, 2003). Illegal immigrants are believed to drain the American health care system, school system, and are unwilling to assimilate to American standards (Ramirez&De La Cruz, 2003). The Pew Hispanic Center estimated the median household income of an illegal immigrant in 2007 was $36,000 (Passel&Cohen, 2009). Nearly 60% of the undocumented immigrants and their children did not have health insurance in 2007 (Passel&Cohen, 2009).

According to the Pew Hispanic Center (2006), the notion that undocumented families do not want to learn the English language creates antipathy among American citizens, including other Hispanics. The Pew Hispanic Center (2006) estimated that 57% of Hispanics believe that immigrants should learn how to speak English to fit into American society. A majority of Hispanics in the same survey (92%) believed that children of illegal parents should be taught to speak English. A greater percentage of Hispanics than Whites or Blacks who were surveyed believed that all children of immigrant families should be taught how to speak English.

Cosentino de Cohen, Deterding, and Clewell (2005) reported that 10% of the elementary schools across the nation had 70% of the students who were LEP. Within this 10% of schools, some of the schools were described as being “High LEP” because they had very high percentages of students who were LEP ( n of students with LEP = 1,406,186) and some of the schools were described as being “Low LEP” because they had low percentages of students who were LEP ( n of students = 643,492) (p. 1). Consentino de Cohen et al. (2005) reported that schools with a high percentage of LEP students have been documented to have more teachers who were new, emergency certified, or uncertified teachers (47%), compared to schools with a low percentage of students who were LEP (20%). Low LEP schools, on the other hand, lagged behind in teacher trainings and services that focused on students who were LEP.

Achievement gap

The success of all students in education has been a longstanding conviction for parents, educators, and policymakers within the United States. Various programs (e.g., Reading First, William F. Goodling Evan Start Family Literacy Program, Education of Migratory Children, and School Dropout Prevention Initiative) have been created in the attempt to increase achievement and decrease the achievement gap that has inflicted the students who are disadvantaged (No Child Left Behind, 2002). The achievement gap may be defined as “the difference between how well low-income and minority children perform on standardized tests as compared with their peers. For many years, low-income and minority children have been falling behind their White peers in terms of academic achievement” (http://www.ed.gov/nclb/index/az/glossary.html).

Researchers (e.g., Haycock, 2001; Lee&Bowen, 2006; Viadero&Johnston, 2000) have identified several other factors that serve as indicators for students’ lack of academic success, compared to students who are White. These indicators include: poverty, test bias, academic loss over the summer, racial stereotyping, access to childcare, parental involvement, qualified teachers, and high student mobility (Haycock, 2001; Lee&Bowen, 2006; Viadero&Johnston, 2000). Finding solutions to these factors can create greater opportunities for all students regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic levels, and language proficiencies (cite).