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According to a recent report, white, Latino and African American students achievement gap in California may take years to narrow. The report also says that girls are far ahead as compared to boys in this aspect.

In the year 2009, white and Latino students gap was 22 percentage points and their gap with African American students was 27 percentage points. In reading, fourth grade African American and white student gap was 28 percentage points the same year.

In most metropolitan school districts, Sacramento, 2010 results are absolutely similar for fourth grade students. Statewide, research showed a 29 percentage point gap between the white and Latino fourth grade reading students. This gap was still higher in other districts. The widest gap in reading between the white students and the African American was found in the Yolo county schools, Sacramento.

In cooperation with parents, the Yolo school districts are hitherto working hard and striving to reduce this gap as early as possible. They also encourage student interaction and add professional development for teachers for this purpose says educations services associate superintendent Ronda Adams. 

She said that secondary school achievement gap was their biggest challenge as the gap is narrower in elementary schools. According to the Center on Education Policy report, if no efforts are taken, it could take at least 35 years to close gap between the White and African American students and at least 29 years for Latino students.

There has been at least a one percent reduction in the gap among the disabled students and African American and Latino pupils in the low income group in California. Center on Education Policy president Jack Jennings says that demographics are rapidly changing in our country.

He said that if our country wants to perform well in future, then this gap must necessarily be reduced as there has been a great increase in African American, Asian and Hispanic students. As compared to the gap between white students and other groups, the gap between Latino and white students are closing quicker nationwide and statewide.

In language arts and math, higher rate is achieved by the Asian students as compared to the white students says one of the center’s researchers Victor Chudowsky. There is also a new concern cropping up namely the gap in achievement between genders. In nearly every state, the year 2009 saw the girls outperforming the boys which in some states are almost 10 percentage points.

This gender gap is consistent in all grades and this is evidently true in all industrialized countries. As compared to the boys, girls are graduating at a higher rate. Dropout rates are also higher among boys, he says. This is a grim picture indeed.

Jennings says that it is time to locate resources and devote attention to kids at the bottom level. He also opined that it is imperative to get more experienced teachers in provide students with individual attention and ensure that this gap is reduced to a great extent in the coming years.