Are High-Quality Schools Enough to Close the Achievement Gap?

Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer, Jr.. (2009.) Are High-Quality Schools Enough to Close the Achievement Gap? Evidence from a Bold Social Experiment in Harlem.

The article examines the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ). HCZ is a social experiment to close achievement gap between low-income/minority students and their rich/White counterparts. The articles analyze the results of a study that focuses on charter schools looking at two identification strategies: school lottery and home addresses of students. Looking at both identification strategies, the results were the same. The charter schools involved were able to reverse the achievement gap in math and reduce it in English. The question now is how can these results be replicated in public schools? The results of this project confirm that all children are capable of achieving at high levels given the right circumstances. The most important to include from the study is high-quality schools or high-quality schools coupled with community investments generate the achievement gains.

This article was breath of fresh air. I thought this article was great because it show the power of human will and aspiration. It is also important to note that human will is not the only contributing factor to the success of Harlem Children’s Zone. Money, money, and more money also play a major role in the success of the program. The key point that I took away from the article is the power of community. It is important to not only look at community in the aspect of outside of the school. In order for our society to overcome this achievement gap it is important to build a strong community within the school walls. No matter race, religion, gender, or class we want our students to achieve.