Bridging the Educational Gap

Bridging the educational gap may be a phrase you’ve heard a handful of times, especially if you live in a country like the United States, which time and time again falls behind other first-world countries in terms of education, particularly mathematics and science. But what exactly can be done to bridge the gap? Will American children forever fall behind their Japanese and Chinese peers? There is a lot more to address than just the education that a child is receiving in a classroom, as a lot goes into a child’s education than one may initially assume.

Learning does not just stop in the classroom. Children continue to learn even outside of their classroom, and the attitudes of their parents and also the importance that schools put on education outside of the class (in the form of homework) also play an important role in the learning of children. Studies show that American children tend to spend less time outside of school learning and doing homework, with both the attitudes of the parents and schools not appearing to value these activities that much, in comparison to their Japanese and Chinese counterparts (Stevenson, Stigler, & Lee, 1986).?

Reflecting back on math education from Elementary to High School, it’s clear that every student in every country is going to have a different memory of how it went. Whether you excelled or you struggled, math was something that you had to study regardless. But, depending on the country you live in, you may have had an even greater difference in terms of the math education you received.?

Although, not all the blame can be placed on classroom education itself, with research showing that there are a variety of factors that cause American students in particular to fall behind their peers in countries such as Japan and China in terms of mathematics (Stevenson et. al., 1986).?

It is important for parents to see the valuable role that they play in their own children’s education. Their learning does not stop once the bell rings signifying that school is over. There are plenty of things that can be done outside of school to set your child up for success within the classroom.?

One thing that affects a child’s performance is the parent’s attitude towards the child’s performance and also success in general, with parents who value success more pushing for their children to perform better, and those who do not place much value on success being satisfied with their child at any educational state (Stevenson et. al., 1986).?

Now, this is not to say that the most important aspect of a child’s education is the grade that they bring home, but it is important to push your child to improve and to continue learning. Having a positive attitude towards their education and recognizing their successes, while also giving them a helping hand with either outside tutoring or educational apps to boost their potential past just what they learn in the classroom.?

With technology being a new implementation to the educational space in the past few years, especially with COVID-19 forcing children to adapt to online learning, it is good to acknowledge how technology can be used to help rather than hinder a child’s education. Utilizing educational apps allows for new, creative, and fun ways for children to learn while also providing immediate feedback, giving them an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and make the necessary adjustments. Educational apps and games allow for the opportunity for children to equate learning with something they enjoy and something that they look forward to doing. Through the use of educational puzzles and brain games, children not only learn but also enjoy themselves while doing so.?

It is also essential for educators to continue to try to better their teaching and grow their current knowledge base, as a child’s education within the classroom depends on the base knowledge of those that educate them (Hiebert, Gallimore, & Stigler, 2002). If educators also take time to adjust and improve their teaching, especially with technology becoming a large part of education in the past few years, parents will likely see an improvement in their child’s education and overall learning. As we have seen in the past few years more drastically than in previous years, education is an ever-evolving field that requires not only the learner but also educators to evolve with it in order to not fall behind those who are able to keep up with these rapid changes.

With a sound base and a supporting home that can cultivate a child’s education and learning progression, there is hope that American children will no longer fall behind in such a stark manner in comparison to other first-world nations. Although, as with many other things, this is not something that can change overnight and will likely take decades to fully bridge the gap. Despite this fact, there is still a lot an individual parent or educator can do in order to help not only bridge the educational gap but also improve the overall quality of their child or student's education.

Paige Escobar (she/her) is a Global Business Development Intern at WonderLab. She is currently a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she studies Linguistics and Psychology with minors in Asian Languages and Digital Humanities.

Sources:

1. Hiebert, J., Gallimore, R., & Stigler, J. W. (2002). A knowledge base for the teaching profession: What would it look like and how can we get one? Educational Researcher, 31(5), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x031005003
2. Stevenson, H. W., Lee, S.-Y., & Stigler, J. W. (1986). Mathematics achievement of Chinese, Japanese, and American children. Science, 231(4739), 693–699. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.3945803?