Research Proposal

Mariah Titus
Independent Research
2016-2017
Title: Equal Education for All: Closing the Achievement Gap
Introduction and Overview of Research:
The overlying area of study for this research project will be how psychological factors
such as microaggression and preconceived notions affect the academic performance of
minorities. I will be studying how the negative racial behavior of educators, parents, peers, and
other significant members of society such as police officers affect how minority students
perform academically, specifically on standardized assessments. My main objective is not to
discover the solution, but discover the cause. This problem does not have a clear-cut solution that
will be successfully fit the needs of everyone, however identifying the causes will allow people
to step back and reassess the problem based on their current situation.
Background and Rationale:
The problem of the Achievement Gap can be traced back to the nineteenth century when
African-Americans served as slaves. During this time, they were discouraged from receiving an
education. They could possibly be whipped, mutilated, or murdered for simply learning how to
read. The slave masters found that the slaves did not deserve to receive an education and
believed they posed as a threat to them if they were to become educated. Yet, many still
managed to learn how to read by sneaking in books and having night teachers. After the
Emancipation Proclamation, African-Americans were able to receive an education, but during a
time where racial violence erupted. Schools built for African-Americans would be burned to the
ground in protest. Furthermore, once segregation was declared unconstitutional in the Brown vs.
Board of Education Case in 1954, African-Americans were able to attend the same schools as
Caucasians, however they did not receive the same quality of education in comparison to their
counterparts due to racial harassment (Ballard). Overall, since the beginning of time receiving a
quality education has been challenging for minorities due to the racial barriers they have to face
in and out of school.
Fifty one years ago, the Coleman Report was released. This report named after James S.
Coleman became the most influential discussed education research reports. Fifty one years ago
this report revealed to the nation that there was a significant academic gap between blacks and
whites in the United States. Despite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act under
President Lyndon Johnson aimed to diminish the Achievement Gap, the public were still kept in
the dark on this problem. In addition, the Coleman Report introduced educational research based
on student testing instead of small-scale experiment studies. Many attempted to rebuke the
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findings of the Coleman Report by conducting their own experiments and reanalyze the data, but
none were able to find any inaccuracies or display any data that goes against these findings.
Thus, the Coleman report paved the way for the National Center for Educational Statistics
Report Card produced every four years for highschool students and every two years for fourth to
eighth grade students. According the last report for highschool students in 2013 conducted on
twelfth graders, it shows a 29 point difference in reading scores as well as a 30 point difference
in math scores. When comparing the results of this report to the results of the report conducted in
2005 there has been no improvement in the gap in the last eight years for mathematics. While in
terms of reading scores the gap has widen since 1992 by six points (Lee).
The purpose of researching this topic is to bring light to this injustice. As a person who
experiences this problem first-hand everyday, I want to determine what I can do to contribute to
the solution. The United States of America is one of the most diverse countries in the world and
we should be able to celebrate diversity in the classroom. Being a minority should not act as a
hindrance in academic achievement. It is unacceptable that in the last fifty years there has been
no significant improvement. This problem has been taken too lightly and must be addressed now
before it becomes unsolvable.
Research Methodology:
Research Question:
How does microaggression and preconceived notions targeting minority students and
their parents in an educational environment impact the decay of the Achievement Gap?
Research Hypothesis:
Microaggression and preconceived notions targeting minority students and their parents
in an educational environment acts as a hindrance to the decay of the Achievement Gap.
It has been proven that a familys socioeconomic status affect how their child performs
academically. Some low-income families are unable to provide their children with resources and
materials beneficial towards their education such as books, computers, etc. Additionally,
low-income families may be unable to send their child to educational camps during the summer.
Furthermore, minority students may experience racial harassment and profiling outside of
school. However, the school cannot control or eliminate these outside factors affecting minority
students, but schools can control the type of environment minority students receive their
education. Many urban schools in big cities are put at a disadvantage because they do not have
the funds to provide suitable materials or an adequate amount of materials for the students.
However, having a welcoming warming classroom can eradicate all problems. Thus, this paper
will thoroughly dissect how microaggression and preconceived notions towards minority
students affect how they perform academically which overall influences the Achievement Gap.
Research Design Model:
Quantitative research will be conducted using an experimental research design model
because determining how microaggression and preconceived notions affect the academic
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performance of students derives from social experiments that produce quantitative data. A
small-scale social experiment displaying the effect of microaggression and preconceived notions
on a students academic performance can be demonstrated when comparing the assessment
scores received by the control group and experimental group. The independent variable is the
subtle negative racial slights targeting both minority students and their parents. While the
dependent variable is the assessment scores received by the students and their parents. The
control group will consist of students and parents who did not experience negative racial slights
prior to the assessment. While the experimental group will receive negative racial slights prior to
the assessment. Negative racial behavior refers to microaggression and preconceived notions.
Data Collection:
For data collection, several small-scale social experiments will be conducted of
elementary and highschool students as well as their parents. The parents will be divided into a
control group and an experimental group and will be given a brief survey asking the parents how
active they are willing to be in their childs education. While students will also be divided into a
control group and an experimental group and will be given a mathematical assessment based on
their grade level and capabilities.
An experimental study, as described above, will be best because it clearly communicates
the effect of microaggression and preconceived notions by comparing the quantitative data of
two different scenarios. This experiment is being conducted with both students as well as parents
because how the parents perceive the schools environment easily trickles down to how the
student of that parent perceives the environment of the school.
Product Objectives:
Following the determination of the conclusion based on the results from the study,
another social experiment will be conducted in a seminar with members of the audience to
further prove my conclusion and to make it more understandable for my audience. This way, the
will be able to understand first hand how and why the results came to this conclusion as well as
what this means on a larger scale. Furthermore, the audience will view a documentary that fully
exhibits the power of microaggression and preconceived notions on students. Lastly, the seminar
will end with an interactive discussion on this matter.
The target audience for the seminar consists of students, educators, Board of Education
members, anyone who has a job in an education department, members of education societies and
organizations, journalists and reporters, and members of the community. Students and educators
should be apart of this seminar because it directly affects their daily lives. This could be
beneficial for Board of Ed. members, other officials in education departments, and members of
education societies and organizations because through this seminar they can gain a different
perspective and outlook on this problem, communicate the message of the seminar to their
colleagues, and use their authority and power to take action on this matter. In addition,
journalists and reporters could bring more public attention towards this seminar. Lastly, from this
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seminar members of the community can learn that their role in the community has influence over
the academic performance of students.
The findings of the research will be communicated at the seminar and a more detailed
analysis of how the experiments were conducted and conclusions were made will be available
hardcopy at the seminar.
Logistical Considerations
Human resources will be required in communicating to the audience the importance of
the Achievement Gap and the effect of microaggressions and preconceived notions. Media
resources will also be required, such as a documentary communicating the detrimental effects
negative racial slights have on students. Lastly, print resources will be required, such as a
detailed analysis of the experiments conducted. For this project, a location is required in order
have somewhere to conduct the seminar as well as equipment that will be able to display the
documentary for the audience. Lastly, distribution of flyers via email and in-person will be
required in order share and spread the message of the seminar to all.
In third quarter, a timeline will be added that outlines the data collection, product
development, and audience distribution.
Approval:

_____________________
Student Signature

___________________________
G/T Resource Teacher Signature

________________________
Mentor/Advisor Signature

Works Cited:
Ballard, Allen B. The Education of Black Folk: The Afro-American Struggle for Knowledge in
White America. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1973. Print.
Lee, Trymaine. Education Racial Gap Wide as Ever According to NAEP. MSNBC, 7 May
2014, www.msnbc.com/msnbc/student-proficiency-stagnant-race-gap-wide. Accessed 8
Jan. 2017.