GAPS

In response to Dr. Horn's post...

Reducing the �achievement gap� to what goes on inside of schools has proven to be an effective way for policy makers to ignore all of the other �gaps� outside of America�s classrooms.

While researcher after researcher has shown that outside influences contribute to student performance and achievement, proponents of high-stakes, standardized reforms continue to press for more �rigor,� as if harder work alone will mitigate every outside factor influencing children�s lives.

Rather than focusing exclusively on the �achievement gap,� policy makers and educational reformers might consider policies that help reduce other �gaps� that exist within our country. Gaps that could be narrowed in order to improve the lives and schooling of all students include but are not limited to:

� The incarceration gap, where six times as many African Americans are behind bars compared to their white counterparts;

� The homeowner gap, where 72.7% of white Americans own their homes compared to 48.2% of African Americans;

� The healthcare gap, where 71.4% of white Americans are insured compared to 53.9% of African Americans;

� The earnings gap, where white Americans average over $20,000 more a year than African Americans;

� The poverty rate gap, where 8.7% of white Americans live at or below the poverty line while 24.7% of African Americans do so;

� The unemployment gap, where 5.7% of white Americans are unemployed while 13.2% of African Americans are without work;

� The happiness gap, where 72% of white youths say they are happy with life in general compared to 56% of their African American counterparts;

� The murder gap, where 49% of murder victims in the United States are African Americans, who make up 13% of the population.

Close one of these and I warrant the "achievement gap" shrinks.

Or, if I may be snarky for a moment...privatize public schools and hold our breath until the market closes these gaps for us...