ABSTRACT
The social reality of the state of Texas is such that the recognition of diversity is essential to the social and economic development in the state over the next several decades. It is estimated that by the year 2022, Hispanics and African Americans combined will represent a majority of all persons living in Texas (Sharp, 1996). It is not only unconscionable but also economically imprudent to ignore the achievement gap that continues to exist between White and middleclass students and students belonging to one of the other disaggregated groups
identified in the state accountability system. And although the gap is narrowing somewhat at the state level, the disaggregation of data evidences a continuing problem that needs to be addressed. The achievement gap-now clearly verifiable thanks to the implementation of a system that allows for disaggregated data-has been theorized over and over by scholars and practitioners alike. Historically-and sadly, contemporaneously-the gap has often been attributed to genetic inferiority (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994), cultural and environmental deficits (Bernstein & Henderson, 1969), and poverty (Singh, 1994). While these deficit theories have been critiqued for some time in sociology and anthropology, only recently have they been debunked in the field of educational research (see, for example, Valencia, 1997). Challenges to the deficit thinking models are empirical as well as theoretical, as evidenced, for example, by the achievement outcomes of several districts in Texas with high populations of economically disadvantaged students and students of color.
