Why We Are Here?

It is historically known that people of color have fewer opportunities than their white counterparts, and this remains the case in the education system. In 1964, as a part of the Civil Rights Act, the Department of Education was tasked with examining the inequality of educational opportunities in elementary and secondary education across the U.S. This examination was entitled the Coleman Report.  The report surveyed and tested students only to find “that the average minority pupil achieves less and is affected by the quality of his school than the average white pupil.” Since then, efforts have been made to narrow the gap. This gap, the achievement gap, is a noticeable division between the educational scores of students with different backgrounds. The National Education Association identifies the following groups as experiencing significant achievement gaps:

• Racial and ethnic minorities
• English language learners
• Students with disabilities
• Boys/girls
• Students from low-income families