Don Davis

Authored Comments

Small problem here: "Schools have become more segregated. Educational tests between whites and minorities have not changed in 20 years."

I think what was meant is that the achievement gap between 'whites' and minorities has not changed in 20 years. This is not true - the achievement gap between ethnicities is closing - but the emergent gap is more a function of economics (e.g. Bailey & Dynarski, 2011; Reardon et al., 2011). (This does not take away from the underlying point - the underlying gap exists and is frequently predicated on access to resources (see Krashen).

Bailey, M. J., & Dynarski, S. M. (2011). Gains and gaps: Changing inequality in U.S. college entry and completion. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series, No. 17633. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w17633

Krashen, S. (2005). The hard work hypothesis: Is doing your homework enough to overcome the effects of poverty? Multicultural Education, 12(4), 16–19.

Reardon, S. F., Murnane, R., & Duncan, G. (2011). The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and the poor: New evidence and possible explanations. In Whither opportunity? Rising inequality and the uncertain life chances of low-income children (pp. 91–116). New York: Russel Sage Foundation Press.