Long-Run Trends in the U.S. SES-Achievement Gap
85 Pages Posted: 24 Feb 2020
There are 3 versions of this paper
Long-Run Trends in the U.S. SES-Achievement Gap
Long-Run Trends in the U.S. SES-Achievement Gap
Long-Run Trends in the U.S. Ses-Achievement Gap
Abstract
Rising inequality in the United States has raised concerns about potentially widening gaps in educational achievement by socio-economic status (SES). Using assessments from LTT-NAEP, Main-NAEP, TIMSS, and PISA that are psychometrically linked over time, we trace trends in achievement for U.S. student cohorts born between 1954 and 2001. Achievement gaps between the top and bottom quartiles of the SES distribution have been large and remarkably constant for a near half century. These unwavering gaps have not been offset by improved achievement levels, which have risen at age 14 but have remained unchanged at age 17 for the past quarter century.
Keywords: student achievement, inequality, socio-economic status, United States, NAEP, TIMSS, PISA
JEL Classification: H4, I24, J24
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation