Poverty, Race, And the Contexts of Achievement: Examining Educational Experiences of Children in the U.S. South‪.‬

Race and socioeconomic status gaps in children's academic achievement are a troubling social justice issue, both because of the serious long-term social and economic consequences, and because despite decades of research and efforts at reform, these gaps have proven quite robust (Braun,Wang, Jenkins, & Weinbaum, 2006). Achievement gaps are a particularly critical social work issue in the American South--an area characterized by high levels of poverty (Rural Poverty Research Institute, 2001), a large black population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001), generally poor performance in most domains of educational quality (Creech, 2000; Lord, 2003), and a weak system of services and supports to shore up family well-being for those who are left behind in school (Rural Poverty Research Institute). Although there is general agreement on the seriousness of the achievement gap, there is no consensus on its causes or solutions. Some research suggests that children who attend predominantly ethnic minority or predominantly poor schools are at an academic disadvantage because of the contextual effects of social segregation (Bankston & Caldas, 1998; Entwisle & Alexander, 1992; Reardon, 2003). Other studies note the significant problems associated with persistent and severe disparities that affect the quality and resources of schools serving disadvantaged groups of students (Biddle & Berliner, 2003). A third direction of scholarship reflects a suspicion that differences in culture and family structure may be to blame for the lower school success of poor and ethnic minority youths (Murray, 1994). Assessing these differing explanations in light of social work's professional knowledge base and values is important for informing practice and policy efforts to improve the well-being and life opportunities of vulnerable children. Specifically, social work's commitment to social justice, and its conceptualization of individual functioning as intertwined with social and structural context provide an important framework for understanding and responding to achievement gaps. Toward that end, this article examines the contexts of and influences on achievement within public schools in the American South. We aim both to understand southern achievement gaps in terms of the particular educational and sociocultural context of the region and to explore the practice and policy implications of responding to achievement gaps within a social justice framework.