An education class I took last semester introduced me to a concept that I think is important to consider when talking about educational inequities in the US - the idea of renaming the so-called “achievement gap” as an “education debt” instead. This shift acknowledges that this debt was caused by a historically unequal and oppressive system, one that is deeply rooted in systemic racism.
The author of the article argued that framing this issue as an “achievement gap” makes it seem more benign and unfairly places blame on the students who are seen as “lower achieving," without taking into account the broader historical context of the American education system. In contrast, reframing this as an education debt recognizes this country's history of oppression, segregation, and racism and how these have contributed to the current inequities we see in education. The author suggests that we must first rename the "achievement gap" in order to take responsibility for this divide and begin to make improvements.