Patterns and Trends in Racial/Ethnic

Introduction Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in academic achievement remain a stubborn feature of U.S. schooling. National studies consistently show that the average non-Hispanic black student scores well below the average non-Hispanic white student on standardized tests of math and reading skills, as does the average Hispanic student. Likewise, the average student from a low-income family scores much lower on such tests than students from higher-income families. Considerable attention has been focused on achievement gaps, particularly the black-white achievement gap. Scholars and educators have suggested a number of possible explanations for the gaps, and policymakers, principals, and teachers have tried a range of remedies. As this chapter documents, however, the gaps persist despite these efforts. Moreover, our understanding of the causes and patterns of these achievement gaps is far from complete. How Have Achievement Gaps Changed Over Time? The best source of data on how achievement gaps have changed over time comes from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).1 NAEP includes two different assessments of the math and reading skills of nationally representative samples of students.2 The first of these—Long-Term Trend NAEP (NAEP-LTT)—is given every two to four years to a nationall