It’s not new news that income can predict success in school (see here, here, and here), but I set out to determine the size of the gap in Washington schools, how it trends across grades, and whether schools with diversity (both rich and poor kids) have success. I don’t propose any solutions here; I’m simply analyzing data to understand the divide.
Here’s an alarming chart about the education gaps for the first few years of a child’s education. I don’t have any strong ideas for fixes, and don’t even have a strong handle on the underlying problems, but the data is something that should drive discussion.
Parents in Seattle Public Schools have the opportunity to select which school they prefer for their children, through the School Choice program. This choice is the topic of constant conversations among parents. Over the past few years, my wife and I have had other parents ask us about our decision to send our kids to a school with “low ratings”, “(a bad) reputation”, and “equity issues.”