PPTA

Mind the gap

Mind the gap

PPTA News August 2009, p. 13

“On average men are able to run faster than women, but many women run faster than many men. So too, many children from lower socio-economic situations out perform those from higher groups” Snook, I. (2009) Excuses, Excuses: Social Class and Educational Achievement

There are two schools of thought surrounding the gap in student achievement – one looks at the impact of socioeconomic background on learning, the other that of quality teaching.

What impacts most on student achievement - socioeconomic background or quality teaching?

A newly released paper by Massey University emeritus professor of education, Ivan Snook, takes a close look at both arguments – focusing on the impact of social disadvantage on students and looking at schools that appear to have overcome enormous odds to teach them.

“Those who account for achievement gaps by reference to home background are accused of providing an excuse for poor teaching and ‘failing schools.’ Those who stress the role of schools and teachers are, in turn, accused of providing an excuse for policy makers who fail to rectify the social conditions which cause many children to come to school poorly prepared physically and mentally,” professor Snook said.

Education achievement gap has become more unequal

The paper explores both arguments and concludes that, while there deﬁnitely are success stories in schools – the achievement gap in New Zealand has widened as society has become more unequal.

“It is common knowledge that the gap between wealthy and poor has widened enormously since the social revolutions of the 1980s and 1990s… All this leads to the conclusion that, on their own, schools are relatively powerless to close the educational gap: closing the gap requires an emphasis on policies to remove the cause of poverty. To hold schools and teachers accountable for differences in the attainment of social groups is unfair and unreasonable,” he said.

Successful schools as an encouraging influence, not cudgel to be used against other schools

He does not play down the impact excellent teachers and schools have on students however.

“The methods of those schools need to be studied, promoted and replicated, so that more educators will be inﬂuenced by their success. But these successes should not be used as a cudgel to attack other educators and schools.”

The answer, as always, lies somewhere in the murky waters between the two. Professor Snook concludes “there must, in short, be no more excuses – from either side.”

Excuses, Excuses: Social Class and Educational Achievement (Ivan Snook, 2009)