A couple months back, a friendly event at Fordham catalyzed a heated debate over the merits of narrowly focusing on the achievement gap. (Isn’t it possible that all the hullabaloo over the achievement gap detracts from the teaching of high flyers, we asked?) Still, we are not blind to the issue, nor are other conservatives. This piece from the National Review argues that, if we don’t bring up the bottom, we stand to lose trillions of dollars in economic growth by 2050. Demographic shifts (especially the surging Latino population) are mushrooming the ranks of traditionally under-performing populations. And our labor markets aren’t ready to absorb them all. As the authors observe, “The achievement gap is not new, but its impact on U.S. economic performance is growing.” We’d better start doing something about it.
“Closing the Achievement Gap,” by Reihan Salam and Tino Sanandaji, National Review, November 14, 2011.