University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Using National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data over a 50-year period, Hanushek et al. (2019) observed that the socioeconomic achievement gap in the United States has failed to close. Plotting standard deviations between the 90th-10th and 75th-25th percentiles of socioeconomic status revealed that the achievement gap remained relatively consistent over time. This consistency held when comparing students based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. However, the racial achievement gap between African American and White students decreased during this period. Additionally, while 8th-grade students (ages 13-15) made learning gains, 12th-grade students (over age 17) showed slower gains. The authors conclude that the persistent achievement gap reflects a relative Matthew Effect rather than an absolute one.

Persistence of the Socioeconomic Achievement Gap (Hanushek et al., 2019)

Hanushek, Eric A., et al. "The achievement gap fails to close." Education Next 19.3 (2019).

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