Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to review briefly the state of education in America, with a particular focus on its racial/ethnic and social class “achievement gaps.” The chapter begins with a brief overview of the changing demographics of America. I then report recent data on the magnitude and trends in the various achievement gaps. Next, I examine the social and economic impact of the achievement gaps on the well-being of the nation. Finally, I describe current approaches to close the achievement gaps, with an emphasis on the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) and a current effort in Pittsburgh, PA, inspired by the HCZ, called the Homewood Children’s Village.
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Notes
- 1.
Includes American Indian, Eskimo and Aleut, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander and all multiple race (“two or more races”) individuals.
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Wallace, J.M. (2015). Exploring, Understanding, and Closing the Achievement Gap(s): Efforts from Harlem to Homewood. In: Bangs, R., Davis, L. (eds) Race and Social Problems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0863-9_8
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