Abstract:
In North Carolina, minority students, with the exception of Asian, do not perform as well as their white peers. Experts list many causes, including lack of parental support, a predominately white teaching staff, inadequate school funding, and fear of \"acting white.\" On the 2002-2003 end-of-grade tests in reading and math, 88.8 percent of white students achieved a score at or above grade level, compared with 66.9 of African-American students, 70.2 of Hispanic/Latino students, and 72.3 Native Americans. The article discusses causes for this gap and includes the 10-point plan of the N.C. State Superintendent of Public Instruction to close the achievement gap.