Discoveries
See what we're learning: read our featured articles, illustrated with dynamic charts & graphics
Learning vs. Average Achievement for Native Students by County
Data from the Educational Opportunity Project provide an unprecedented view of the patterns of educational opportunity for Native American students. For each county and school district in the U.S., the data provide a measure of Native students’ average academic performance in third grade and a …
Increasing School Segregation Widens White-Black Achievement Gaps
We find that inequality in demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, and school resources predict trends in achievement disparities. For example, trends in White-Black school segregation predicts trends in White-Black achievement gaps: On average, school districts where segregation is increasing …
Racial Socioeconomic Inequality Predicts Growing Racial Academic Inequality
Socioeconomic inequalities exacerbate academic inequalities, so when socioeconomic inequality is higher, academic achievement gaps also tend to grow.
For example, consider socioeconomic inequality for Black and White families in the same school district. In nearly all U.S. communities, White …
Affluent Schools Are Not Always the Best Schools
The Chicago Public Schools are more successful than they are given credit for. In 3rd grade, where our test-score data begin, the average student in Chicago scores below a 2nd-grade level, as shown in the accompanying chart.
This figure highlights the relationship between how rich a district …
What Explains White-Black Differences in Average Test Scores?
Racial and ethnic disparities in children’s academic performance are a stubborn feature of the American educational landscape.
Though these gaps are substantially smaller than they were 40 years ago, they remain quite large: the difference in standardized test scores between White and Black …