Content area
Abstract
The achievement gap for U.S. traditionally marginalized students persists as an ongoing topic of debate and discussion among educators. A review of the literature indicates that conventional definitions of the achievement gap focus primarily on differences in standardized test scores between students of different demographic groups. However, these conventional definitions fail to recognize systemic historical, economic, and socio-political problems that contribute to poor educational outcomes for traditionally marginalized students. Furthermore, an examination of the achievement gap under Critical Race Theory (CRT) reveals that racial inequities exist within the teaching environment. The disconnect between these conventional definitions and the broader issue of racial inequity in teaching capacity, referred to as an “educational debt,” represents a gap in the body of knowledge about the achievement gap. This study attempts to fill this gap by adopting Guskey’s (2002) Model for Teacher Change and incorporating an equity framework into the professional development of educators and staff. To this end, the study employs a qualitative case study method to elicit information regarding the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs held by educators and staff in a Wisconsin school district as part of the construction of anti-racist professional development.
