The United States has made little progress over the past six years in reducing the disparities, both within and outside of schools, that keep poor and minority students from achieving the same kind of academic success as their white and better-off peers, a report from the Educational Testing Service says.

The April 30 report, a follow-up to a 2003 study by the Princeton, N.J.-based testing giant, tracks national progress in reducing gaps between students of different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups on 16 factors that have been linked to student achievement.

 

“What I find troubling is that this issue is still on the table,” said Edmund W. Gordon, a professor emeritus of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, who commented on the report. “While some progress has been made, it’s not nearly enough.”

 

The article “ETS Tracks Causes of Scoring Gaps” was published on May 7, 2009 in “Education Week” website. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/05/07/31report-b1.h28.html?tkn=MOZFACqn4gfqfMQlShuJrPoZg6KDgfVXh9VM