(NAME-MCE) The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools

[Anselmo Villanueva]

The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools

This report examines the dimensions and economic impact of the education
achievement gap. While much controversy exists on the causes of the gap and
on what the nation should do to address it, the full range of the
achievement gap's character and consequences has been poorly understood.

This report examines the dimensions of four distinct gaps in education: (1)
between the United States and other nations, (2) between black and Latino
students and white students, (3) between students of different income
levels, and (4) between similar students schooled in different systems or
regions.

The report finds that the underutilization of human potential as reflected
in the achievement gap is extremely costly. Existing gaps impose the
economic equivalent of a permanent national recession—one substantially
larger than the deep recession the country is currently experiencing. For
individuals, avoidable shortfalls in academic achievement impose heavy and
often tragic consequences via lower earnings, poor health, and higher rates
of incarceration.

To download the report go to:

http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/socialsector/achievementgap.asp