Most societies in the modern world comprise of a variety of individuals. This is because they are made up of people who are from different cultures and background. As a result, these societies contain a rich heritage due to the interaction of the culture, traditions and beliefs of the people who are part and parcel of it. Normally, the main factor that constitute to the difference of the individuals who make up these societies is race.
Many societies in the modern civilization comprise of individuals who are from different races of the world. In America, for example, a community can be made up of Latinos, African Americans and individuals from the white community (Manasseh, 2010). This ratio complexity has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The culture, background and traditions of these individuals play an important role in the determination of the various factors of their lives. This includes their behaviour, beliefs, psychological status, cognitive development and intellectuality.
With regards to these factors, it will therefore be true to state that racial differences, among other factors play a critical role in determining the academic performance of an individual (Murphy, 2009). Due to this fact, this essay shall on the effects of racial differences and achievement gap.
Education has become an essential requirement in the modern world. This is due to the role it plays in determining and shaping the career of an individual. Education gives individuals the knowledge and skills that is required to perform given roles in a specific profession. As a result, individuals who are learned stand a better chance of having desirable careers as compared to individuals who are not learned or perform poorly in school.
From studies that have been conducted, a strong correlation has been identified between the performance of a student and his ethnic background. Students from white families tend to perform better as compared to those from Latino and African American communities (Murphy, 2009). This difference can be attributed to a number of factors. This may include cultural differences, financial stability, cognitive development and so on.
Due to the increased levels of poor performance, many governments have employed a number of strategies to improve the educational status of their countries. To achieve this, most schools have mainly concentrated on modifying their educational system.
This, for example, entails having favourable leadership that ensures that teachers conduct their roles as per the expected standards and that there is proper allocation of resources to all the departments. Other governments have modified their curriculum and education system in order to meet the current needs and requirements of the modern world.
In other circumstances, schools have maintained teachers who exhibit high performance but have replaced those who were performing poorly. These are just but some of the strategies that schools have been employing over time to improve the performance of their students.
However, in all these strategies, a critical aspect has always been left out in order to minimize the gap in the performance of students on racial lines. This is the role played by the community in the determination of the success or failure of any project. I feel that it is essential for the government and schools to consult and work together with the community in order to improve the performance of their students.
With this strategy in place, it will be easier to understand the needs of a community. It also encourages parental participation. This makes them to feel as part and parcel of the project.
As a result, the performance of students will be monitored both at home and in school. Teachers and parents will work together as a team to achieve a common goal. Once this strategy is integrated with other methods, the performance gap as a result of racial lines shall be reduced.
References
Manasseh, A.L. (2010) Vision and Leadership: Paying attention to intention. Peabody Journal of Education, 63(1), 150-173.
Murphy, J.T. (2009) The unheroic side of leadership: Notes from the swamp. Phi Delta Kappan, 69, 654-659.