Poverty Explains Some of the Achievement Gap, but Not All

Abstract

The Twin Cities have one of the worst achievement gaps in the nation. On third-grade reading tests, 70% of White students meet the achievement standards, while only 38% of students of color meet those standards. This article attempts to understand the causes of that gap. It focuses on family income and finds it explains much of the gap. Some schools in the Metro area have been able to close the remaining gap for low-income students of color.