Black, Latino Students Perform at Levels of 30 Years Ago: Educators are expressing alarm that the performance gap between minority and white high school students continues to expand across the United States, with minority teenagers performing at academic levels equal to or lower than those of 30 years ago.
Despite the hope that improving education for children of color would propel them to better life outcomes, Latino and African-American students are not being prepared in high school classrooms for brighter futures. While achievement levels have improved considerably for minority elementary and middle school students, educators say their academic performance drops during high school years.
How prevalent is the achievement gap at the high school level?
On average, African-American and Latino high school seniors perform math and read at the same level as 13-year-old white students.
