This literature review examines the impact of the perpetuated achievement gap in American schools, with a specific lens on high-poverty schools and the arts. It scrutinizes factors including racial bias, classroom instruction, and school culture as they relate to student achievement. Additionally, it looks closely at middle school student achievement and how apathy influences effort and engagement in the classroom. To address these challenges, the article highlights the value of differentiation and its ability to transform student performance and mindset toward education. A specific look is taken at student-centered arts classrooms that value student autonomy and curiosity.
Americans for the Arts (n.d.). 10 Arts Education Fast Fact s . Americans for the Arts. https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-topic/arts-education/10-arts-education-fast-facts
Assari, S., Mardani, A., Maleki, M., Boyce, S., & Bazargan, M. (2021). Black-White Achievement Gap: Role of Race, School Urbanity, and Parental Education. Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 12, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.2147/phmt.s238877
Balke, E. (1997). Play and the Arts: The Importance of the “Unimportant”. Childhood Education, 73, 355-360. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.1997.10521139
Barbara, H. A. (2010). Student Ownership: Learning in a Student-Centered Art Room. Art Education, 63, 40-46. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2010.11519078
Bradley, K. (2022). The Socioeconomic Achievement Gap in the Us Public Sc hools . Ballard Brief. https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/the-socioeconomic-achievement-gap-in-the-us-public-schools#:~:text=achievement%20gap-,The%20groups%20may%20be%20classified%20by%20race,%2C%20gender%2C%20or%20socioeconomic%20class.&text=2-,Occasionally%2C%20the%20achievement%20gap%20will%20be%20referred%20to%20as%20an,documented%20since%20the%20late%201930s
Brusic, S. A., & Steinmacher, J. G. (2015). Creating the Curious Classroom. Children ’ s Technology & Engineering, 19, 24-28.
Bush, M. A. (2007). Differentiated Educational Strategies in the Elementary Art Classroom . Virginia Commonwealth University.
College Board (2012). Child Development and Arts Education : A Review of Current Re- search and Best Practi ces . Prepared for the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards.
Fenzel, L. M., & O’Brennan, L. M. (2007). Educating At-Risk Urban African American Children: The Effects of School Climate on Motivation and Academic Achievement. In The Annual Meet ing of the American Educational Research Association .
Ford, D. Y., Harris, J. J., Tyson, C. A., & Trotman, M. F. (2002). Beyond Deficit Thinking: Providing Access for Gifted African American Students. Roeper Review, 24, 52-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783190209554129
Fredricks, J. A. (2011). Engagement in School and Out-of-School Contexts: A Multidimensional View of Engagement. Theory Into Practice, 50, 327-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2011.607401
Fussell, M. (n.d.). The Stages of Artistic Develop ment . The Virtual Instructor. https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/the-stages-of-artistic-development
García, E., & Weiss, E. (2020, September 27). Education Inequalities at the School Starting Gate . Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/education-inequalities-at-the-school-starting-gate/
Graves, D. (2018). Middle School Apathy : A Phenomenological Study from S tudents ’ Per spective . Liberty University.
IRIS Center (n.d.). Defining Differentiated Instruction . IRIS Center. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/di/cresource/q1/p01/#:~:text=When%20a%20teacher%20tries%20to,children%20are%20wasting%20their%20time.%E2%80%9D&text=A%20fluid%20or%20dynamic%20method%20of%20grouping%20students
Jaquith, D. B. (2011). When Is Creativity? Intrinsic Motivation and Autonomy in Children’s Artmaking. Art Education, 64, 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2011.11519106
Kanevsky, L. (2011). Deferential Differentiation: What Types of Differentiation Do Students Want? Gifted Child Quarterly, 55, 279-299. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986211422098
Lee, J., Lim, H., Allen, J., & Choi, G. (2021). Effects of Learning Attitudes and COVID-19 Risk Perception on Poor Academic Performance among Middle School Students. Sustainability, 13, Article No. 5541. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105541
Library of Congress (n.d.). School Segregation and Integration . Civil Rights History Project. https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/school-segregation-and-integration/
Marshall, J. C. (2008). Overcoming Student Apathy : Motivating Students for Academic Succ ess . NSTA Press.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (n.d.). Student Profile . Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/student.aspx?orgcode=00350000&orgtypecode=5&fycode=2019
Massachusetts Office on Disability (n.d.). Learn about Education Rights . https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-education-rights
McElhany, J. S. (2016). Awakening Student Ownership: Transitioning to a Student-Centered Environment. Art Education, 70, 29-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2017.1247567
McMahon, W. (2019, September 3). Differentiation Is Hard, but Necessary. Don’t Worry, T here’s Help. EdSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-09-03-differentiation-is-hard-but-necessary-don-t-worry-there-s-help
Moore, J. L. III, Ford, D. Y., & Milner, H. R. (2005). Underachievement among Gifted Students of Color: Implications for Educators. Theory into Practice, 44, 167-177. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4402_11
Morgan, H. (2020). Misunderstood and Mistreated: Students of Color in Special Education. Voices of Reform, 3, 71-81. https://doi.org/10.32623/3.10005
Morgan, P., & Farkas, G. (2018, May 4). Are Too Many Minority Students Identified as Disabled? Or Are Some Who Need Services Overlooked? The Washington Post . https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/05/04/are-too-many-minority-studentsidentified-as-disabled-or-are-some-who-need-services-overlooked/
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (2023a). NAEP Long-Ter m Trend Assess ment Re sults: Reading and Mathematics . The Nation’s Report Card. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/ltt/2023/
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (2023b). Concentration of Public School Students Eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch. Preprimary, Elementary, and Secondary Education . https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/clb/free-or-reduced-price-lunch#:~:text=In%20fall%202021%2C%20the%20percentage,Islander%20students%20(23%20percent)
Oleschuk, F. R. (2001). Lessons Learned from Gifted Children about Differentiation. The Teacher Educator, 36, 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730109555263
Owoseje, F. (2023). Impact of Technology on Education; Analysis, Implications, Solutions. Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (JHSS), 6, 214-220.
Pekrun, R. (2019). The Murky Distinction between Curiosity and Interest: State of the Art and Future Prospects. Educational Psychology Review, 31, 905-914. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09512-1
Ralabate, P. K. (2011). Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the Needs of All Students. The ASHA Leader, 16, 14-17. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.ftr2.16102011.14
Reis, S. M., & Renzulli, J. S. (2018). The Five Dimensions of Differentiation. International Journal for Talent Development and Creativity, 6, 87-94.
Renzulli, J. (2022). The Achievement Gap : It ’ s All about Engagement ! University of Connecticut.
Roth, N. E. (2016). Stories of Exploration in a Student-Centered Learning Environment. Art Education, 70, 8-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2017.1247559
Smith, P. K., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (1998). Understanding C hildren ’ s Development (3rd ed.). Blackwell Publishers.
Strogilos, V., Tragoulia, E., Avramidis, E., Voulagka, A., & Papanikolaou, V. (2017). Understanding the Development of Differentiated Instruction for Students with and without Disabilities in Co-Taught Classrooms. Disability & Society, 32, 1216-1238. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1352488
Sullivan, K. (2024, May 23). Schools Fear Job Cu ts as Emergency Pandemic Funding Runs out . The Hill. https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4705923-schools-jobs-emergency-coronavirus-pandemic-funding/#:~:text=Elementary%20and%20Secondary%20School%20Emergency,from%20counselors%20to%20reading%20specialists
Tomlinson, C. A. (2008). The Goals of Differentiation. Educational Leadership, 66 , 26-30.
Turken, S. (2024, January 3). Boston Public Schools Could Clos e as Many as Half of Its Buildings under New Pl an . WGBH. https://www.wgbh.org/news/education-news/2024-01-03/boston-public-schools-could-close-as-many-as-half-of-its-buildings-under-new-plan
U.S. Department of Education (2015). 37th Annual Re port to Congress on the Implemen tation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2015 . U.S. Department of Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED572022.pdf
U.S. Department of Education (n.d.). Promising Results , Continuing Challenges : Final Re- port of the National Assess ment of Title I . U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/disadv/promisingresults/edlite-exsum.html
VanDerMolen, M. (2023, September 11). Determine the Teaching Approach Mix That Fits Your Art Room Bes t . The Art of Education University. https://theartofeducation.edu/2023/09/determine-the-teaching-approach-mix-that-fits-your-art-room-best/
Varian, S. (2016). Choosing Creativity : Choice- Based Art Educatio n in an Inclusive Class room . Moore College of Art & Design.
Wretman, C. J. (2017). School Sports Participation and Academic Achievement in Middle and High School. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 8, 399-420. https://doi.org/10.1086/693117