Student achievement gaps in the United States have persisted, though not at static levels, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And while the degree to which any particular factor gets blame or credit for widening or narrowing the gaps is debatable, the authors in this issue of The State Education Standard agree that differences in educational opportunity play a key role. Schools and state policymakers, they say, can control and address many of these variances head on: teacher distribution, funding, and access to early education, for example. This issue of the Standard looks at these factors and more.
Unfinished Business: Addressing Unequal Opportunities in Education.
As schools retool to prepare students for an economy in which critical thinking and collaboration are paramount, will all students share the benefits?
By Peter W. Cookson Jr.
The Promise of Policy: Holding Us Accountable for Helping All Kids Achieve.
Debates about reauthorizing No Child Left Behind and student testing risk obscuring the law’s central purpose: to ensure that all students have equitable opportunities for K-12 learning.
By Sonja Brookins Santelises
Leaping the College-Ready Gap: What Can Be Learned from Schools That Focus on Deeper Learning
Eight schools from around the country demonstrate how to close the gaps for Latino and black students in beginning and finishing college degrees.
By Monica Martinez and Dennis McGrath
What will it take to close remaining gaps?
By Jay Barth
Attracting the Best Teachers to Schools That Need Them Most Some high-needs schools are doing what it takes to recruit well-trained teachers and keep them. By Kate Walsh, Hannah Putman, and Autumn Lewis
Nowhere is the gap more acute than in the educational experiences of male black students, who are also more likely to face exclusionary discipline, school-based arrest, and be placed in special education.
By Ivory A. Toldson and Kimberly D. Charis
Pennsylvania provides a case in point.
By Rand Quinn and Matthew P. Steinberg
Early Learning: Unintended Consequences of the Push to Close the Gap by Increasing Quality
Despite bold moves to increase access to quality early learning, gaps persist.
By Phil Sirinides
Mind the Gap: Just Be Sure It’s the Right One
The achievement gaps that matter most to students reflect the spectrum of educational opportunity, not just differences in test scores.
By Ace Parsi
The NASBE Interview: Margaret McKenna
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