Institutional Racism

in addition to the identity-related conflicts within a minority culture. These ethnic
histories thus define the social status of minority groups and thereby influence the
schooling experience of minority students.
Legacy of Discrimination Argument
An argument has been put that the disparity in income that exists between African
Americans and Whites directly contributes to the racial achievement gap. This school of
thought argues that the origin of this "wealth gap" is the slavery and racism that made it
extremely difficult for African-Americans to accumulate wealth for almost 100 years. A
comparable history of discrimination created a similar gap between Hispanics and
whites. This results in many minority children being born into low socioeconomic
backgrounds, which in turn affects educational opportunities.
Research has shown time and again that the wealth and income of parents is a primary
factor influencing student achievement[citation needed]. A low socioeconomic
background can have negative effects on a child's educational achievement before even
starting school; indeed, research has shown that the achievement gap is present
between races before starting formal education.
On average, when entering kindergarten, African-American students are one year
behind White students in terms of vocabulary and basic math skills, and this gap
continues to grow as a child's education continues.
Refugees
Part of the racial achievement gap can be attributed to the experience of the refugee
population in the United States. Refugee groups in particular face obstacles such as
cultural and language barriers and discrimination, in addition to pre-migration stresses.
These factors affect how successfully refugee children can assimilate to and succeed in
the United States. Furthermore, it has been shown that immigrant children from
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