Addressing the Achievement Gap Together
1/8/26, 2:00 PM
The achievement gap is a term we often hear in conversations about education—but why is it so important? Behind every test score and classroom performance lies a complex mix of influences. One powerful factor, often overlooked, is self-efficacy—a student’s belief in their own ability to succeed. When students feel confident and capable, they don’t just perform better academically; they unlock their potential to thrive in every aspect of life. By nurturing self-efficacy, we can close gaps, break barriers, and empower students to reach new heights. Together, we can inspire greatness.
The achievement gap is something many of us have heard of, but why does it matter? Is it really a thing?
Many factors affect students' performance; however, one factor is self-efficacy. In a nutshell, academic self-efficacy is a students’ beliefs and attitudes toward their ability to achieve academic success. It’s also their belief in their ability to perform academic tasks and the successful learning of materials (Hayat et al., 2020). Academic self-efficacy plays an important factor in student’s academic performance (Hayat et al., 2020). When we speak negatively to children, expose them to negative ideas and thoughts about themselves, or degrade them, we can severely damage their belief that they can achieve academic excellence.
In 2017, my husband and I started National Day of Love, a celebration of love through giving to show love and teach others about love. We partner with other organizations who affect education and encourage love through giving back and celebrating positive behaviors.
What is the Achievement Gap?
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “achievement gaps occur when one group of students (e.g., students grouped by race/ethnicity, gender) outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant (i.e., larger than the margin of error)” (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.).
While we cannot attribute these results to one specific factor, we can learn things that can improve the results and decrease the achievement gap. We can also caution ourselves from labelling groups based on negative performance, which can hinder future performance.
We must never label students based on genetics or group characteristics. Doing so can lead to biases that negatively affect the outcomes of individual students' lives. We must treat all students with love and respect. We must expect and believe the best in each student.
Why Does Closing the Gap Matter?
As gaps in education continue to spread, we can be left with certain groups who are completely disadvantaged. It’s important to see how we can help all groups succeed. Groups left disadvantaged for long periods can become unmotivated. As generations progress, their children can also become disinterested or lose hope as they see continuous negative attention in the media or society.
By closing the achievement gap, we can find untapped potential and further unite our society. We are better off when everyone receives the help that they need to be the best version of themselves. This is where valedictorians are born, and leaders develop.
How Can Companies Help?
Companies have an important part to play. They are leaders in their communities and often provide societal direction and influence. Although companies do not often work directly with children, they can influence how people treat others, which affects society.
Companies can encourage their employees not to embrace media that negatively looks down on any group of people such as women, the disabled, the elderly, or other groups. They can also encourage their employees to address feelings that they may have about other groups being inferior simply based on their makeup. Lastly, companies can encourage their employees to unite as part of humankind.
Corporate culture plays a big part in how individuals react to negative behavior. Employers who criticize or downgrade women or other groups create an environment that can decrease hiring of that group. If hiring does occur, the group can be discouraged once they are employed in these environments. Companies need to be a place where people are respected and loved.
As companies work together to create an environment that treats others with respect, it can change how their employees treat others in society. As people see themselves as part of society, they can achieve more and have higher expectations of themselves and their children. When people feel like someone believes in them, they are more likely to succeed. Their success helps our economy grow and leads to more employment opportunities as those individuals contribute positively to society.
Research:
Acosta-Gonzaga, E. (2023). The effects of Self-Esteem and Academic engagement on university students’ performance. Behavioral Sciences, 13(4), 348. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13040348
Doménech-Betoret, F., Abellán-Roselló, L., & Gómez-Artiga, A. (2017). Self-Efficacy, Satisfaction, and Academic Achievement: The Mediator role of Students’ Expectancy-Value Beliefs. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01193
Hayat, A. A., Shateri, K., Amini, M., & Shokrpour, N. (2020). Relationships between academic self-efficacy, learning-related emotions, and metacognitive learning strategies with academic performance in medical students: a structural equation model. BMC Medical Education, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-01995-9
National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). Methodology Studies - Achievement Gaps | NAEP. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/gaps/