February 2008 | EPI Study

A Report Card on Comprehensive Equity
Racial Gaps in the Nation's Youth Outcomes

by Richard Rothstein, Rebecca Jacobsen, and Tamara Wilder

The "achievement gap" usually refers to the difference between black and white students' basic skills test scores. But education and youth development consists of more than basic skills -- it also includes critical thinking, social skills and a work ethic, citizenship and community responsibility, physical health, emotional health, appreciation of the arts and literature, and preparation for skilled work. Greater equity in outcomes requires narrowing the achievement gap in each of these areas. In this "Report Card on Comprehensive Equity" (prepared for the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University), Richard Rothstein, Rebecca Jacobsen, and Tamara Wilder estimate the black-white achievement gaps in each of these aspects of education and youth development, and illustrate the types of data gathering which should be undertaken for ongoing measurement of these gaps.

This paper is available in PDF format