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The Black-White Test Score Gap Through Third Grade

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Author Info
Roland G. Fryer
Steven D. Levitt

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Abstract

This paper describes basic facts regarding the black-white test score gap over the first four years of school. Black children enter school substantially behind their white counterparts in reading and math, but including a small number of covariates erases the gap. Over the first four years of school, however, blacks lose substantial ground relative to other races; averaging .10 standard deviations per school year. By the end of third grade there is a large Black-White test score gap that cannot be explained by observable characteristics. Blacks are falling behind in virtually all categories of skills tested, except the most basic. None of the explanations we examine, including systematic differences in school quality across races, convincingly explain the divergent academic trajectory of Black students.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 11049.

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Date of creation: Jan 2005
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11049

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I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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  1. Roland G. Fryer & Steven D. Levitt, 2004. "Understanding the Black-White Test Score Gap in the First Two Years of School," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(2), pages 447-464, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Eliana Garces & Duncan Thomas & Janet Currie, 2002. "Longer-Term Effects of Head Start," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 999-1012, September. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Carneiro, Pedro & Heckman, James J., 2003. "Human Capital Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 821, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Pierre Lefebvre & Philip Merrigan & Matthieu Verstraete, 2008. "The Effects of School Quality and Family Functioning on Youth Math Scores: a Canadian Longitudinal Analysis," Cahiers de recherche 0822, CIRPEE. [Downloadable!]
  2. Marco Castillo & Paul Ferraro & Jeff Jordan & Ragan Petrie, 2008. "The Today and Tomorrow of Kids," Experimental Economics Center Working Paper Series 2008-10, Experimental Economics Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University. [Downloadable!]
  3. Simon Burgess & Deborah Wilson & Adam Briggs & Anete Piebalga, 2008. "Segregation and the Attainment of Minority Ethnic Pupils in England," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 08/204, Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK. [Downloadable!]
  4. Samuel Bowles & Glenn C. Loury & Rajiv Sethi, 2009. "Group Inequality," Economics Working Papers 0088, Institute for Advanced Study, School of Social Science. [Downloadable!]
  5. John J. Donohue III, 2005. "The Law and Economics of Antidiscrimination Law," NBER Working Papers 11631, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Adam Briggs & Simon Burgess & Deborah Wilson, 2006. "The Dynamics of School Attainment of Englands Ethnic Minorities," CASE Papers /105, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Luis Locay & Tracy L. Regan & Arthur M. Diamond, Jr., . "The Effects of Spanish-Language Background on Completed Schooling and Aptitude Test Scores," Working Papers 0710, University of Miami, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Charles T. Clotfelter & Helen F. Ladd & Jacob L. Vigdor, 2006. "The Academic Achievement Gap in Grades 3 to 8," NBER Working Papers 12207, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Luis Locay & Tracy Regan & Arthur M. Diamond Jr., 2008. "The Effects of Spanish-Language Background on Completed Schooling and Aptitude Test Scores," Working Papers 0909, University of Miami, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Roland G. Fryer, Jr. & Paul Torelli, 2005. "An Empirical Analysis of 'Acting White'," NBER Working Papers 11334, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Hernandez-Zavala, Martha & Patrinos, Harry Anthony & Sakellariou, Chris & Shapiro, Joseph, 2006. "Quality of schooling and quality of schools for indigenous students in Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3982, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  12. Oscar Marcenaro-Gutierrez & Fernando Galindo-Rueda & Anna Vignoles, 2007. "Who actually goes to university?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 333-357, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Tomer Blumkin & Yoram Margalioth & Efraim Sadka, 2007. "Incorporating Affirmative Action into the Welfare State," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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