THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 1
The Impact of Equity Education on The Achievement Gap: Bridging the
Educational Divide in STEM Education
Shirley A. Holman
School of Education, Liberty University
Author Note
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Email:
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 2
Abstract
This article reviews literature to identify the causes of the achievement gap in STEM
education. The goal is to see how equity education can bridge the divide and produce minority
STEM graduates to fill the need of qualified individuals in STEM fields. It delves into the roles
of stakeholders in accomplishing this monumental task. Some approaches to instruction are
examined as well as the impact that inequity in education has on minority students. The paper
also explores Thorndike’s Law of readiness and Bandura’s social cognitive theory to give insight
into how people learn. Suggestions are given to address the missing research into the topic with
the goal of furthering the discussion. The topic of this paper is also examined through a biblical
worldview to give insight to the Christian believer of their role in achieving equity in education.
Keywords: achievement gap, equity education, minorities, multicultural education, STEM
education
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 3
Society has a way of coining terms to bring attention to the latest movement. Coined
phrases are often used to unify those that are of like mind concerning a certain matter. Some may
feel like the term itself overshadows the issue and takes on a life of its own and may even deviate
from its intended purpose. The coined term should never take away from the importance of the
issue that it gives momentum to. Equity education is a term derived from the American Civil
Rights Movement’s pursuit of equal education for all citizens, especially African Americans. A
pursuit that called for the desegregation of America’s public schools. This paper will attempt to
explain how equity in education will bridge the learning gap that exist specifically in STEM
education.
This paper will review some policies, practices, and procedures relating to equity
education, the achievement gap and STEM education. The government has grafted into law that
equal education is the right of every citizen. Based on these rulings acts have been instituted to
ensure full compliance in the public sector. Time has proven that with a great history of unequal
treatment of people of color, indigenous and others, equal treatment is not enough to diminish the
disparities that exist.
How people learn is important to understanding how to educate them. Theorists such as
Thorndike and Bandura have studied how people acquire knowledge and skill. Their theories
have been instrumental in developing instructional strategies that are used in modern classrooms
(Schunk, D. 2020). These strategies are used to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of
diverse learners. Consideration goes beyond learning styles extending to cultural nuances that
shape who people are, how they view the world, and interact with it.
Educating students to navigate and successfully operate in our rapidly advancing world is
important. Especially when considering America’s past of being a leading competitor in the
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 4
global market. Emphasis has been placed on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) education to ensure America’s future as a global competitor. The country is already
experiencing a shortage in qualified individuals in STEM fields (Avendano, L. et al, 2019, p.66).
Minorities have a history of making tremendous contributions to STEM fields. People like
George Washington Carver, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Ernest E. Just, Dr. Marie M. Daly,
Katherine Johnson, Vivien Thomas, Dr. Carlos Finlay, Dr. Severo Ochoa, and Dr. Antonia
Novello are a few minorities that have made significant contributions. Research has been done to
explore why minorities, especially African Americans and Latinx Americans are vastly
underrepresented in STEM despite historical and present-day contributions.
Definitions
1. Equity- systematic redistribution of common goods to create systems and schools
that share an increased probability of being more equal (Santos et al., 2020).
2. STEM education- Instruction leading to an understanding of how the world works
through the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
which results in the application to improving social, economic, and environmental
conditions in all social spheres (Martin-Paez et al., 2019).
3. Achievement Gap- the disparity in academic and standardized test performance
that exists between Whites and minorities (Jones et al., 2021).
4. Multicultural education- generative instructional approach that incorporates
existing knowledge with new ideas based on mutual unbiased cross-cultural
exchange for the purpose and process of education in a diverse world (Sleeter,
2018; Walker, 2020).
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 5
5. Social Cognitive Theory- the idea that most of human learning happens in the
social environment by observing others, people acquire knowledge, rules,
skills, strategies, beliefs, and attitudes (Schunk, 2020).
6. Minority students- individuals that are not white males, generally African
American and Latinx students.
Related Literature
There is a long history of disparities in the U.S. that infected the educational system. The
Civil Rights movement was birthed out of the desire for Black people and others that are
discriminated against to be treated equally. The movement fought for equal education realizing
that there was a difference in the quality of education that most minorities were receiving. Brown
v. The Board of Education Topeka Kansas was a groundbreaking case which resulted in the
desegregation of U.S. public schools (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954). With the
desegregation of schools, the government realized that education reform was necessary. The
most recent reform came in the form of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This act was
signed to compensate for the failure of the No Child Left Behind Act. ESSA gave more control
back to the states to decide how to best educate their students but maintained the standards to
provide quality education to all students (Saultz, Schneiderm, & McGovern, 2019). Targets are
set for performance goals of schools. Standardized tests are used to assess students’ learning and
to determine if schools are meeting goals. Even with the reform disparities still exist.
Disparities still exist partially due to the misunderstanding that equal education alone
produces equity education. Often the terms are used synonymously which devalues the term
equity. Equity is merging equally and quality. Santos et al. (2020) submits that equity is based on
two principles.
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 6
…quality education for all citizens, seeking to develop to the maximum the individual,
social, intellectual, cultural, and emotional capacities, always within the framework of
effective equality of opportunity; and the shared effort of the entire education community
in caring for the diversity of students. On the other hand, the term equity is associated
with social well-being, based on the principle of personalized and universal education. (p.
1)
To achieve equity in education for all people, especially Black and Latinx students in
America, it will require the united collaborative effort of the extended community. Too often the
weight of educating students is put on teachers alone. This author heard on several occasions if
students are not successful it is the teacher’s fault as if others in the educational system do not
play important roles. It will take a collaborative effort of all stake holders to achieve equity in
education. Educators, parents, administrators, community members, employers, mentors, donors,
and others are needed for this tremendous task.
Hines, E. et al explores the roles of others in the education of students. Their article
discusses education reform in the context of the contributions of school counselors. Counselors
at underachieving schools are in a unique position to advocate for equity in education. They can
take an active role in “developing policies, practices, and interventions, that change the dynamic
of the school culture…” (Hines et al., 2018). Too often minority students are labeled with having
behavior issues and too little is done to help them. School counselors have the ability to shift the
perception of students being problems to addressing academic and institutional roadblocks that
hinder student success (Hines et al., 2018). By partnering with teachers, staff, parents and
community members, counselors can focus on eliminating systemic inequities.
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 7
In addition to school counselors being significant contributors to obtaining equity in
education, philanthropist can make a big difference as well. According to Jackson & Alvai
(2022) more minorities, specifically African American men, would attend and complete STEM
programs at predominantly white colleges and universities (PWCUs) if those institutions focused
on acquiring support from black alumni philanthropists. Those donors not only will provide
finances for STEM programs but act as a bridge to connect talented capable perspective students
that they can mentor and support through to the completion of STEM programs. People of color,
that have successfully completed college STEM programs can help alleviate the burden of others
like them by giving of their time and resources. Some may argue that the education of those that
W.E.B. Dubois referred to as the “talented tenth” (Jackson, & Alvai, 2022) is the sole
responsibility of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). These institutions have
played an important role in the education of minority students in this country and others from
around the world. However, those institutions do not receive the same amount of funding that
larger PWCUs do. This forces HBCUs to educate their students at outdated facilities which
contributes to lower enrollment. However, they have a history of producing upwards of 25% of
African Americans with degrees in STEM (McGee, 2020, p. 638).
The focus of equity education has often been placed on instruction. Approaches to
instruction have been birthed out of the need to educate all learners regardless of their
backgrounds. Multicultural education has many definitions which may have obscured its purpose
rendering it insufficient towards achieving equity education. For some, multicultural education
was achieved by diversifying faculty and staff. Teachers from minority groups have been
perceived to have insight into the experiences of their students simply because they are from the
same minority group (Mantel, 2020). However, culture is defined by more than skin color,
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 8
gender, religion language, etc. There are so many factors that shape a person’s worldview and
how they comprehend. For example, an African American Christian from the inner city may have
some difficulty relating to another African American Christian from the inner city because there
may be a difference in home life (single mother versus both parents in the home, or college
educated parents versus high school graduate that has a trade, or denominational differences).
Additionally, the teacher may be a product of a PWCU education. Their experience and pursuit
of success may have left them jaded and removed from their cultural upbringing. The argument
is not to eliminate the diversification of school staff so that it mirrors the American multicultural
population. It is to diversify the education programs at colleges and universities so that aspiring
teachers receive training that helps to eliminate their biases and foster a belief that differences
have value (Han, 2018).
Other approaches and strategies are used that incorporates the learners’ backgrounds and
experiences to further learning. In STEM education Project Based Learning (PBL) and Real-
World Situations (RWS) are commonly used to teach complex material in a way that students use
what they already know as a foundation. Gray, D. et al conducted a study that found minority
students are more engaged when their assignment had opportunities for communal learning
(Gray et al, 2019). RWS is an opportunity to teach using culturally relevant topics. Students
attending schools in communities like those in Flint Michigan may be taught a lesson about
pollution using that scenario. Teaching from this perspective develops the “intellectual strengths”
of the students (Thompson & Thompson, 2018).
Learning Theory Association
Much of the achievement gap is attributed to how learning occurs and is assessed.
Standardized tests use language and scenarios that are unfamiliar to minority students. Texts and
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 9
learning materials are often printed using unfamiliar terminology which is defined using terms
that minority students don’t understand in that context. Additionally, schools with a high
population of minority students tend to be in school systems that are underfunded and lack the
necessary materials to teach students which contributes to the achievement gap in STEM
(Avendano et al., 2018, p. 68). Lack of understanding renders students deficient in the required
pre-requisite skills which, according to Thorndike’s Law of Readiness, leaves the student feeling
like learning is a punishment and a waste of time (Schunk, 2020). When students do not see how
the material is relevant to them, they say things like “when will I ever use this”. Making the
connection between the material and how it can be applied in students’ every day life is
important to keeping them engaged as well as presenting it in a manner that they understand. In
STEM terminology can be challenging. Using terms that the students are familiar with and
associating it with the proper STEM terms builds their vocabulary and understanding. This may
take extra work on the part of the instructor if they are not familiar with the cultural language of
their students. That is why it is important for teacher training to reflect the diversity of the future
students that teachers may encounter.
Bandura’s social cognitive theory suggests that much of the students learning takes place
in a social environment (Schunk, 2020). Most people spend their early formative years (birth to 5
years) within the confines of their culture with little to no exposure to other cultures. For others it
extends past those early years. How they interact with the outside world (other cultures) is
filtered through their culture of origin. A component of Bandura’s theory is self-efficacy. Self-
efficacy has to do with the belief that one can accomplish a particular thing. Minorities are
underrepresented in STEM fields. There is little representation in texts and other images to
encourage minorities to pursue those fields. Part of an individual believing that they can
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 10
accomplish a particular goal is seeing it modeled before them by others that they can relate to.
The underrepresentation of minorities in STEM is another reason why some minorities have low
self-efficacy in this area. Avendano et al. (2018) states the reason for low enrollment in
undergraduate STEM programs can be attributed to “limited academic support, performance
anxiety, racial preferences in admissions, academic deficits, socioeconomic status and cultural
differences” (p. 69). McGee, Griffith, and Houston note that all doctoral students experience
intense pressure while in computing and engineering doctoral programs, but minorities face
added burdens and pressures (McGee, Griffith, & Houston, 2019). The added burdens and
pressures have psychological consequences that Jones et al. state can “further exacerbate the
existing disparity” (Jones et al., 2021).
Gaps in the Research
Extensive research has been conducted into the achievement gap, minorities and STEM
education and equity education. Throughout the literary research conducted for this paper what
was noticed is the lack of long term research into the effects of equity education in STEM from
Kindergarten to the completion of college. This may be due to the length of time it would take to
complete such a study (approximately 17 years) as well as the cost to fund such a project. It is
difficult to see if the policies, practices, and strategies implemented to provide equity education
to bridge the achievement gap in STEM education unless there is a more extensive study done
using the same test subjects. It is possible to do if the research is continued using the same test
subjects by partnering with a school district that will work with the researchers to not only follow
the students but create professional development trainings for teachers, policies with
administrators and counselors, community involvement, etc.
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 11
Biblical Worldview
This paper examines equity education and STEM education with the intention of
furthering the discussion to diminish the achievement gap that exists in the United States. Equity
education should not be the exception but the standard. The bible teaches that “there is no respect
of persons with God” (King James Version, 1954/2011, Romans 2:11). It is the will of God for
His people that they are educated in the things concerning Him. He does not restrict which
believer is able to receive this knowledge. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 13 says “till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God…” (King James Version, 1954/2011,
Ephesians 4:13). In the previous scripture Paul is speaking to the church in Ephesus which was
in a port city that was a hub for merchants. The fact that the church was in a city where Jews
were a minority gives us insight into God’s thoughts concerning the spreading of knowledge to
extend beyond one group of people. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Christian,
according to Mvududu (2019), to consider the culture of others when teaching the Gospel. The
author goes on to say: “although we cannot escape our cultural lenses, we cannot let them blind
us” (Muvududu, 2019, p. 3). The spreading of the gospel crossed cultures, genders, ethnicities,
race, and any other proposed barrier to show the true heart of God towards humanity. It is the
responsibility of the Christian to follow this example and advocate for equity education for all
students.
Like equity education, we can identify STEM in the bible. The biblical account of
creation is full of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, and more (King James
Version, 1954/2011, Genesis 1-2). Additionally, many of the early contributors to the field were
Christians. Scientists such as Galileo, Boyle, Mendel, Paschal, Maxwell, and many others are
subscribers of the Christian faith. Savarirajan submitted a research paper that explored
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 12
connecting the bible and biology. She found that studying biology from a Christian perspective
strengthened their personal faith significantly. It also showed that an increase in student retention
in STEM majors (Savarirajan & Fong, 2019). Partnering STEM education with faith is a
practice that has been done and has had positive results for students. When pursuing studies in
rigorous fields faith aids self-efficacy which previously noted impacts student outcomes.
Conclusion
The disparity that exists in the socioeconomic status of minorities in the United States is
apparent. It is reflective of the achievement gap not just in STEM education but education in its
entirety. To resolve this tremendous divide there must be equity in education. This author
concludes that this must start with bridging the cultural divide that exists using a multicultural
education approach and utilizing the entire community of stakeholders. When equity in education
is achieved there will be an increase in minority students completing STEM undergraduate and
graduate programs. Those graduates can minimize the deficit of qualified individuals in the
STEM workforce.
THE IMPACT OF EQUITY EDUCATION ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP 13
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