Educators' tendency to presume that all children come to school knowing how to behave appropriately stems from a major misassumption which in turn replicates other misassumptions.......

Many educators operate under the major but mistaken premise that once students, regardless of background, come to school, and are exposed to the same teachers, environment, books, etc. that they are ready to assimilate, they can just plunge right in, quickly settle into learning, and be ready to maneuver the school culture. This umbrella assumption covers students regardless of culture or origin. The misassumption replicates itself in myriad ways:

Mere Propinquity to successful students breeds successful students. Just placing all students,( regardless of color, culture, exposure to school values) in the same school, in the same classroom, assigning them the same teacher is enough to get all students to learn similarly.

All students have been taught how to act appropriately at home, and will be able to transfer this knowledge to new situations. Or that the socialization all students receive at home is consistent with what they need upon arrival in school.

Symptoms of the Problem

Adept in their home culture, students feel natural. They operate efficiently and confidently. Entering the school setting opens up a range of comfort levels in students. Some of them waltz in smoothly while others bumble clumsily. Some are unable to cope in the new school cultural environment because they have been inadequately prepared to deal with upcoming situations. They do not understand the school culture, and it is not their fault. Where were they supposed to learn it? Coaching they have received in their communities or from their parents may be inadequate or impotent to counteract the contrary expectations of their peers. Their inadequate preparation for what is expected lands them in an alien school culture. Positioned for certain failure and rejection, they lose their confidence and become insecure, awkward, and prone to making clumsy mistakes. These imperiled students resort to acting according to their own devices. They must either sink or swim in the swift current of the classroom, and much too often they sink in failing grades, discipline referrals, suspensions and high dropout rates.

Students whose home and school values are synchronized are at ease. They experience fewer conflicts with authority figures, and comply with school requirements. They anticipate what is expected of them because they have been prepared and coached in their communities, their homes and by their peers. Their school experience is relatively pleasant.

The solution therefore, must be linked to correcting the misassumptions and providing special training to all students so that they can not only learn what the values of the school are but learn how to embrace them. Correct the achievement gap problem at the level of embracing school values.