THE GAP! Closing Opportunity Gaps - Every school in America claims to be closing opportunity gaps. But are they really?

Michael Atkins • Cahn Fellow 2022

Closing Opportunity Gaps - Every school in America claims to be closing opportunity gaps. But are they really? This adaptive problem is often met with technical solutions, and we wonder why the gap still exists. The answer isn't to teach faster, plan harder, evaluate more, or continue to use old systems to analyze student data. In order to close the opportunity gap, we have to think innovatively and realize that students are more than test scores.  

Throughout the course of our project, we have dismantled the top-down structures of Data-Driven Instruction and allowed teachers to collect authentic, meaningful data about how children engage in learning through the use of Learning Labs. What happens when we utilize video to hone in on specific learners and study their engagement in learning? What happens when we place agency within teachers to critique and offer suggestions on their peer’s instruction? How might a focused weekly qualitative analysis of 5 focus children offer insight into the impact of teacher instruction?