The Evolution of the Black-White Achievement Gap in Elementary and Middle Schools

Considerable recent attention has focused on the black-white achievement gap and its growth during the school years. Prior work has suggested that identifiable school characteristics have little to do with the changing gap. Our preliminary analysis, however, suggests that differences in the schools attended by blacks and whites combined with the added sensitivity of blacks to the racial composition of schools can completely explain the pattern of achievement gaps in late elementary school and middle school. Stanford University, University of Texas at Dallas, and National Bureau of Economic Research; and Amherst College, University of Texas at Dallas, and National Bureau of Economic Research, respectively. Support for this work has been provided by the Packard Humanities Institute. The Evolution of the Black-White Achievement Gap in Elementary and Middle Schools Eric A. Hanushek and Steven G. Rivkin