ERIC Number: ED531840
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Feb-4
Pages: 48
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Mind the (Other) Gap! The Growing Excellence Gap in K-12 Education
Plucker, Jonathan A.; Burroughs, Nathan; Song, Ruiting
Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Indiana University
This report is intended to provide some preliminary excellence gap data and kick start the national discussion on the importance of excellence in the national and state K-12 education systems. After briefly summarizing recent literature on the excellence gap, the trends in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores along gender, racial, income, and English language lines are discussed, with a brief examination of excellence gaps as measured by state accountability assessments. Next, the degree to which achievement gaps at the advanced level may be connected to gaps at the basic and proficient level of achievement is considered. After a discussion of state and federal policies targeting high-ability students, an empirical analysis of the potential factors influencing the size and trend of excellence gaps is presented. Finally, conclusions as well as policy recommendations are offered. (Contains 17 figures, 9 tables and 21 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Quality, Role, National Competency Tests, Achievement Gap, High Achievement, Sex, Racial Identification, Income, English Language Learners
Center for Evaluation and Education Policy. 1900 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47406-7512. Tel: 800-511-6575; Tel: 812-855-4438; Fax: 812-856-5890; e-mail: ceep@indiana.edu; Web site: http://www.indiana.edu/~ceep
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Indiana University, Center for Evaluation and Education Policy
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A