Perspective on Achievement Gap on Ladson-Billings and Duncan-Andrade

Article Critique
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"From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in U.S. Schools" is an article by Gloria Ladson-Billings. Ladson-Billings introduces readers to the term "educational debt." The author refers to the persistent achievement differences between Black and Latino students and white students as a "gap." Ladson-Billings suggest that culture, schools, and teachers of Black and Latino students should be held accountable for the disparities. Teachers and teachers' unions tend to blame the gap concept (Ladson-Billings, 2006). The author agrees that the aspects mentioned above should be blamed for the disparities; however, she states that it is not complete to list the three as the only factors that lead to them. In the United States of America, the achievement gap results from historical, socioeconomic, and moral decisions that individuals have made.
Ladson-Billings' article has challenged me to change my perspective from an achievement gap to an educational debt by analyzing the concept from different points of view, such as economic, historical, political, and moral perceptions. People of color have continually educated themselves regardless of their challenges. Indigenous communities were forced to stop speaking their language and adopt white ways of knowing. In addition, during segregation, schools attended by Black students were underfunded.
I believe the achievement gap concentrates on student outcomes instead of systematic disparities. It concentrates on finding short-term solutions instead of long-term fixes. An achievement gap means the onus is on the students to eliminate the gap. The achievement gap aims for equality instead of equity.
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