The academic achievement gap is the minority compared to white students. The gap does not start when a child enters school, but it begins before they enter school. The Ministry of Education and the government have tried to close the gap, but the gap is still there. There have been some improvements in test scores, but as Ravitch mentioned, it is difficult to close the achievement gap if all groups are improving (363). The minority would have to improve considerably for the gap to close. For improvements to be made, changes would need to happen at home, in classrooms and within the school board. It may take a few years to close the gap and put all groups on the same level, but it is possible. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Ravitch states that the privatization of schools often leads to greater segregation (362). In paragraph 12, she also states that such gaps exist wherever inequalities exist. Students from the most advantaged families have higher test scores than students from the most disadvantaged families. White children most likely come from the most advantaged families and can afford to attend private schools, while minority children most likely come from the least advantaged families and attend public schools (363). Jonathan Kozol would agree with Ravitch because he believed that schools were returning to segregation and that white schools provided a better education. Change needs to happen in the homes of minority students. Parents should start teaching their children to read, spell, and learn vocabulary before starting school. Parents also need to be good role models and set high standards. A child can succeed in a public school because I succeeded in public schools. Minority children just need support at home, and they need someone to look up to, which means parents need to guide their children in the right direction and be good leaders. Parents of minority children must have set goals and be prepared to raise a child before having a child. Ravitch asserts that African Americans experienced higher levels of poverty and lower levels of education than white Americans (364). African Americans should try to escape poverty, build their community, and provide a better life for the next generation. The changes that need to be made to close the achievement gap start within the minority. Public schools and private schools are different in many ways. Public schools are free and private schools are fee-paying. As Kozol mentioned in his article, schools are still separate and unequal. Teachers earned $43,000 per year in the urban community, while teachers earned between $74,000 and $77,000 per year in the white community. The spending level was $11,700 per student in an urban community, but the spending leverage was $722,000 per student in a white community. White students get a better education than minority students because they have the resources. Also, in my experience, there are usually more distractions in public schools because the children are not well behaved. Most minorities who live in poverty live in a difficult community and act in.