School Quality and the Black - White Achievement Gap Eric

Substantial uncertainty exists about the impact of school quality on the black-white achievement gap. Sizeable achievement differences by race as of 1 grade and test error complicate any investigation of this issue, because average test score growth rates may differ across the distribution depending upon the test instrument, curriculum, and other factors. Texas administrative data show that the growth in the achievement gap between 3 and 8 grade is higher for students with higher initial achievement. Whether this reflects growth in the actual achievement differential or test error induced changes is difficult to ascertain. However, analysis using quasi-random variation in teacher and peer characteristics shows that peer racial composition and teacher experience likely amplify racial achievement differences. Stanford University, University of Texas at Dallas, and National Bureau of Economic Research; and Amherst College, University of Texas at Dallas, and National Bureau of Economic Research, respectively. Support for this work has been provided by the Packard Humanities Institute.