Capitalizing on Differences: Keys to Unlocking the Academic Achievement Gap

Abstract Closing the U.S. academic achievement gap is as complex as it is comprehensive due to the disproportion of instructional opportunities available to underserved student populations. Underserved student populations are defined as minority and/or students of color from low-socioeconomic families and communities, English language learners and recent immigrants (Wolniak, Flores, & Kemple, 2016). Raising the academic achievement of culturally, racially and ethnically diverse students from high poverty and/or high-risk communities will require more than national and/or state policies and mandates. It necessitates a transformative view of the teacher as a change agent with the ability to alter the culture, climate and level of student achievement in a classroom. This capacity-based method extends beyond what is readily identifiable by acknowledging the variances in approaches to teaching all students through research-based best practices to capitalize on differences. The approach presented allows for the focus on student variation in an inclusive setting to enhance academic achievement.