Policy Syllabus

Wide achievement gaps persist within the United States between poor and minority students and their wealthier and white peers. Nationwide, black and Latino students are two to three years behind white students of the same age, and students from low-income households are two years behind their wealthier peers. At the same time, the country as a whole suffers from an international achievement gap that places the U.S. significantly behind other advanced nations. On international tests in reading, math and science over the past 40 years, students in the United States have not made any notable gains, while students in top-performing nations have improved. These gaps impose on our country the economic equivalent of a permanent national recession. Research suggests that shortfalls in academic achievement lead to several negative consequences for individual students, as well, including lower earnings, poorer health and higher rates of incarceration.