Factors for Academic Success Research Paper

Ever since I was very young, I was always the kid who questioned anything and everything. I would always wonder many different things like why do we have presidents, why do stars exist in space, how do trees grow, and many more. I was never the one who would just take whatever I see and accept it or see it as a non-questionable topic, I always wanted to know how things work and what causes them. This is very true when it comes to social issues in the world, specifically in this reading is the imbalances of academic achievement or success in certain groups in America. Through my research log, I have gathered many information that I can use in order to present the many different factors that contribute to the development of literacy of individuals from different backgrounds. 

The topic of academic success by different individuals of different backgrounds is a very important issue that needs to be understood well. Only just by turning on the TV will you clearly see that there is a huge difference between thinking when it comes to people. You will see debates happening between the Democrat and Republican party on many issues which includes the success of different ethnic groups. There is a huge divide that exists in our nation because of this, a nation where we all are supposed to be united together. However what to be understood is that these differences in thinking are not intentionally suppressive against one another but more of a different view with different sources. Let's take a look at police brutality as an example of different views, many of you know that the issue of bad policing has existed for so long and is mainly the talking point in the Black Lives Matter movement. One may view officers as only doing their jobs and the victims of these situations were being uncooperative which leads to the outcome of each event. Many will go on to state that the justice system has no problems and it is all the victims who are to blame for these issues. However on the other side of the spectrum, there are people who view officers in these situations as stepping over the victims rights and handling the situation unprofessionally. Furthermore stating the evidence that the  justice system has been enforced for decades to bring certain groups of people down that happen to be the victims of police brutality.

As you can see by my example above, my topic on the development of literacy in different groups stands in the same situation. My topic is important because it’s an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed and understood. Without any context to my topic one may be viewing the issue in an unfair light to those who are a victim to unfortunate backgrounds. In my research I have gone over many different things such as systemic factors, impacts of good teaching, and the current struggles of today by covid-19. To further understand my topic will ensure the awareness of different issues that exist in our society today.

As for the sources I’ve gathered, I have split them into three different categories which relate to each other in their own way. In my first category I wanted to focus on the influences of the environment on literacy. When it comes to the environment many rural areas don’t have the same resources as other locations and this leads to some people not developing as well as they should. In Adult literacy in Rural Areas by Susan Ferrell, it is highlighted that many adults in rural areas lack the need and resources that contribute to their literacy. Furthermore many of these areas have seen so much lack of success in adult programs that some have been discontinued. In my other source African American Males and Literacy Development in Contexts That are Characteristically Urban by Alfred Tatum and Gholnecsar Muhammand, the struggles of urban city Afican American students are shown and addressed. Tatum and Muhammand go into depth into the effects that bad and good teachers can have on students. Also showing the low success rate of these students which is also influenced by the lack of literacy development in their own households. In my last source for this category which is Why other countries teach better by the editorial board of the New York Times, It’s shown how much America lacks behind other countries when it comes to academic success. The low success is shown to be contributed by a lack of resources that students from more unfortunate backgrounds have compared to more wealthy families. Also the lower teacher development in America compared to other countries is shown to be a problem as well.

In my second category I focused on the influences a teacher can have on students. I choose this as it has been shown that many students need a good teacher especially ones coming from a lower literacy development household. Having a bad teacher can only bring these students down more causing a huge issue for them. In my first source how teacher can help students navigate truma by Lisa Godwin, Godwin explains how a teacher who went the extra mile helped her cope with the issues in her life that arose due to anxiety and the abuse she faced as a child. For my second source, the contradiction of good teaching by Matt Burnum, Burnum shows statistics that high achieving classes also have low student engagements. Burnum questions what really should be the standard of what good teaching is and states that both achievement and engagement should be important. Then in my last source getting good teachers for poor schools by Richard Rothstien, Rithstien presents the issues that exist with getting good teachers for poorer schools. Many of the problems are due to higher quality teachers not wanting to handle lower academic achieving students. Rothstien also showed what many school districts are attempting to do to try and fix these problems like increasing wages at these “poorer schools”.

In my last category I focused on the struggle of students during the covid-19 pandemic. With the pandemic going on many students especially from unfortunate backgrounds are being heavily hit. This is due to the lack of resources like technology and the internet which hinders many from attending classes. In my first source worried your kids are falling behind by Holly Burns, Burns gives relief to many parents who are worried for their children's development by giving many advice to help ensure their kids succeed with remote learning. Burns also includes help that lower financially families can do like getting resources from the school in order to help their children as well. In my other sources research shows students falling months behind during virus disruptions and As School Moves Online, Many Students Stay Logged Out by Danna Goldstien, Goldstien shows how much students are falling behind and how students are not being able to log on remote learning as efficiently. Many schools have drop standard testing and traditional grading which has left many students with no accountability as well to their work.

I hope that my research will give the readers a new perspective that may have not been known previously. As I stated in the beginning of this introduction, many people today have different views on different topics and often attack each other for it. I do not wish for my reading to be perceived in the same way as many other bias takes. I want the person who reads this to understand and remember that the information from this reading is only from my personal researched view and there are many other contradicting viewpoints that exist. I want the reader to take any information given as a different viewpoint of an issue  and use it as fuel to further conduct more research. I did not write this piece to persuade you to my opinion but just to give you awareness on the topic presented.

While researching through this topic I have learned alot about how different backgrounds can influence literacy development. Many students who grow into less fortunate backgrounds do not develop the same as wealthier students and to further add to this, teachers who are not very knowledgeable on development fail to help these students. I also see that this issue can be possibly fixed if we are able to adjust how America does things in the education system, such as other more academically successful countries. This problem is also on full highlight since the pandemic started, students who don’t have access to certain resources are struggling and falling behind. Many of these reasons cannot not be helped by the school alone such as giving students their own computers because some do not have internet access at all.

As to why this is important to me as an individual, there is a huge issue that exists in the education system that needs to be addressed and handled. If we as a nation continue to ignore them, it will only lead to more students from poorer backgrounds to fall behind other students. Ultimately leading to the continued educational disparity that exists today. To be aware of these issues and push for change, we as a nation need to overcome these problems but it will only take the effort of all of us together.