Paper Example on 'Acting White' Theory

Introduction

The 1986 authors of the "acting white theory", Fordham and Ogbu, point out the various aspects and factors which define the controversial theory. The theory explains the underachievement of black students in America. The authors try to blame the blacks themselves for the stereotype. The fact that the black Americans have considered academic success as well as the high intellectual success as a white affair makes them responsible for creating the academic gap in schools. Based on their experiences through slavery and mistreatment by the whites, the blacks, therefore, try as much as possible, not to associate with the ideologies and concepts of the white Americans.it is like the academic success is considered a weakness byte the blacks. A non-white student, whether black or Hispanic, who tries to achieve in the American academic field, gets to be shunned and given weird names. The blacks, for example, would be referred to as 'Oreos,' an indication that the individuals are black in the outside but white on the outside (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986). The controversial theory is not clear about the people to blame for propagating the ideology of 'acting white.' The authors try to argue that the "acting white "concept has been embraced by the black community while at the same time pointing figures to the overall society for blamin the academically excelling black students, while at the same time victimizing them for their success. The 'acting white' issue is a serious matter which needs to be looked into when tackling the achievement gap in schools. Children have been made to know and to understand that their academic success is highly dependent on their social background, particularly the race.

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What Makes the Academic Gap to Persist in the United States?

Economic Disparity: Family Background and Access to Resources

I believe that various factors contribute to the persistence of the achievement gap in the United States of America. Racial segregation is one of the major contributing factors that lead to the gap. Even though much of the academic discrimination based on one's race has been reduced over time, some aspects of it still exist. Back then in the times of Martin Luther King's Jnr., the segregation was so intense to the extent that the blacks and the other non-whites could not attend the same schools as the Americans (Jackson, 2013). The fact that the students did not attend schools of the same caliber, posed a risk of the achievement gap in the schools. The fact that the schools did not have similar facilities and structures made it harder for the difference to be closed. In recent years, however, the schools are opened for students of different racial backgrounds to mingle and to study together with each other. The academic gap, however, has persisted, because there is still a difference in the economic status of the families from which the different students come. The separate family cycles widen the achievement gap. The fact that children from low-income families cannot have proper access to books and other learning materials at home makes it difficult for them to compete with their wealthier counterparts.

Social Background: Societal Influences on Academic Performance

Apart from the economic barrier, the social background to some extent is a contributing factor to the achievement gap in schools. The societal customs dictate the achievement lives of children in school. The society molds children in different ways both morally and intellectually. The performance of a child academically, mostly depends on what they have been made to believe that they are. For a society that thrives in violence and other forms of crimes, the children often fail to compete with others in schools as they are more pre-occupied and would tend to emulate such vices. As opposed to their counterparts from well-organized communities, these individuals do not put much effort in class and would, therefore, end up lagging behind.

Beliefs and Stereotypes: "Acting White" as a Hindrance

Moreover, certain beliefs can also widen and make the achievement gaps in schools to persist. "Acting white" as a justification is valid. There are still some, though a few communities which still believe that excelling in academics is an all-white affair. Some even en think that by achieving in academics, one gets weak and would act like the whites. Such kinds of thoughts make individuals from such communities to under compete and to underperform in schools making the achievement gap to persist in the learning institutions.

Conclusion

Working with children in such settings has proved to be difficult as there is not much that one can do to make them achieve in the same level as the other students. It is, however, essential for a teacher or anyone working with these children in the different educational settings, not to ascribe to the different stereotyping thoughts and prejudices. That aspect would make them be able to make a definitive assessment and to be able to give the disadvantaged students the support they need, without contradicting the attention given to the children who can better achieve (Berliner, 2013). Trying to make the children feel like they are competing on the same ground, would be the first step in bridging the achievement gaps within the various educational settings.

References

Berliner, D. (2013). Effects of inequality and poverty vs. teachers and schooling on America's youth. Teachers College Record, 115(12), 1-26.

Fordham, S., & Ogbu, J. U. (1986). Black students' school success: Coping with the "burden of 'acting white'". The public review, 18(3), 176-206.

Jackson, T. F. (2013). From civil rights to human rights: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the struggle for economic justice. University of Pennsylvania Press.