Quinn, David M., Desruisseaux, Tara-Marie, & Nkansah-Amankra, Akua. (2019). Educational Researcher, Vol. 48 No. 7, pp. 484–487

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Growing concern surrounding the framing of the "achievement gap" stems from the unintended consequences that result from the use of the term. In the context of race, it can imply that white achievement is the norm. It also focuses on student performance rather than on structures of racial inequality, and thus may lead to perpetuation of racial stereotypes regarding intellect/work ethic. This framing may lead people to deprioritize the issue of the achievement gap, as well as to short-term solutions that do not target the root of the problem, due to framing effects associated with the term.

Issues with language in context of Racial Achievement Gap

“Achievement Gap” Language Affects Teachers’
Issue Prioritization

In a study which compared the phrase "racial achievement gap" to that of "racial inequality in educational outcomes," it was found that the two different framings of the term resulted in differences in the way surveyed teachers responded to prompts. Teachers who received the “gap” framing of the term did not prioritize closing gaps/ending inequality as highly as those who received the version of the term framed as “inequality", demonstrating the implications that can come from the language used in terms of the racial achievement gap.

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