Date of Conferral

5-19-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Terrie Edwards

Abstract

There is a persistent academic achievement gap between African American students and their White peers in Grades 1–3. Federal and state governments have made numerous efforts, implemented policy changes, and allocated more resources to struggling school districts, yet the disparity in academic achievement persists. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore early childhood teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of closing the achievement gap between African American students and their White peers in Grades 1–3. The conceptual framework for this study was based on Coll and Lamberty’s model of developmental competencies in minority children. The research question for this study focused on early childhood teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of closing the achievement gap between African American students and their White peers in Grades 1–3. For this basic qualitative design, one-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted to collect data from 13 early childhood teachers with 9 or more years of experience. Thematic analysis was used to identify open and axial codes and to analyze the data. From the analysis, three themes emerged: (a) teachers believe they can close the achievement gap; (b) teachers believe the achievement gap is extensive due to unreasonable expectations; (c) teachers recommend strategies that help African American students succeed. Applying the study’s findings may contribute to broader social change as teacher preparation programs, school leaders, teachers, and policymakers use the findings to make decisions on policy and procedures focused on the importance of intentional, culturally relevant instructional practices to support African American students’ academic achievement and close the achievement gap.

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