Closing the Achievement Gap: Public Policy That Banks Too Heavily on Schools
The mantra of “closing the gap” in test scores between whites and minorities has become public policy. Why? Because closing the gap is linked to more economic growth and less social inequities in the U.S. Such reductions in the test score gap and income inequality between blacks and whites did occur between 1971 and 1989 (e.g., black salaries rose nearly 30 percent in comparison to white salaries). A substantial victory. Since 1989, however, reductions in the gaps in scores and income distribution have ceased. No one can say why with any certainty.
Policy advocates have their own theories as to what caused the substantial decrease in that earlier period and also why subsequent regress has occurred. Some explanations depend upon the strong linkage between family income and test scores. Social scientists estimate the percentage of the test score gap due to family income to
