Are there cultural differences or certain ethnic groups that are at a disadvantage in school?

         In class on Monday, we watched the movie Stand and Deliver. The movie hit on many important aspects of challenging students and watching them be successful, however, it also triggered my thoughts on if cultural differences or certain ethnicities provide a disadvantage when it comes to getting an education. In the movie, the students who made up the classroom were almost entirely Mexican Americans. Although these students had a teacher who was also Mexican American and their fellow classmates were also Mexican American, many classrooms across the nation and world are very diverse when it comes to the teachers and students. This article I found athttp://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2082/Individual-Differences-ETHNICITY.html, highlights on the achievement gap that there is across ethnicities and how certain ethnicities are at a higher disadvantage. The article says that there are ethnic and cultural differences in grades, test scores, enrollment, graduation, and dropout rates. The article also states that, “the average scores of African-American and Hispanic students have remained significantly below those of non-Hispanic white students.” Why is this happening? What is it about cultural differences and different ethnicities that set certain people apart from others when it comes to getting an education? The article fails to address the issues of low socoioeconomic status contributing to this gap. I believe that even though theoretically or statistically we want to say that SES contributes substantially to the achievement gap, there are other contributors as to why those with cultural differences or certain ethnicities are performing lower than the average non-Hispanic white. The article explains that the achievement gap can be caused by things such as, “…impoverished home life and differences in values, expectations, languages, and communication patterns between teachers and students.” It is silly to think that just because someone may be a part of a certain ethnic group that they do not have the same abilities to succeed as someone else. So my question to you is how can we, as future educators, try to fix this gap? The article states that in the coming years, two-thirds of the public schools will consist of African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and Native American students. So as we all become teachers, we can take it upon ourselves to try and fix this achievement gap that has been created. Do we do this by challenging these students to succeed, or is it by making all of the students feel equal and that they all have equal opportunities? I feel that this issue is important to consider as I strive to become a teacher.