Achievement Gap through the Ages

I found an interesting article illustrating how the acheivement gap increases through the ages. Caro (2009) looked at the achievment gap attributed to SES based on children's age. He noticed that the achievement gap stays the same at the younger ages of 7-11 then the gap increases from age 11-15. I want to speculate as to why the gap would increase in the older ages. I am a big believer that greater intervention opportunities happen at younger ages. I would guess the gap would increase due to apathy. My goal with my children are to ensure they are at the top of their class academically in the begining because then they will be rewarded by their classmates and teachers on a regular basis for their achievements. On the other hand, if they are at the bottom then in a way they get punished because people are always telling them they are not as successful. It would be hard to stay motivated and continue to care if you are always at the bottom academically. I would speculate that the gap increases in adolescence because students are less motivated to achieve if they haven't been successful previously. Caro, D. H. (January 01, 2009). Socio-Economic Status and Academic Achievement Trajectories from Childhood to Adolescence. Canadian Journal of Education, 32, 3, 558-590. Kristin