The Black-White Achievement Gap: Why Closing It Is the Greatest Civil Rights Issue of Our Time

In this clarion call, Paige, a former secretary of education (2001–2005) and his sister, a noted educator, pursue two threads of thought: the quest for authentic African-American leadership and the black-white achievement gap. Their argument: “while racism and discrimination are still barriers to African American progress, they are no longer the primary barriers”; and the “black-white achievement gap is the primary civil rights issue of our time.” The main obstacle to closing that gap is black leadership culture, which they “criticize... for its role in the existence, magnitude, and intractability of the black-white achievement gap.” Authenticity is defined as “activity by individuals or groups, regardless of ethnicity, which, with moral purpose, [that] affects the attitude and behavior of African Americans, through identifying and confronting major barriers to African American achievement.” In making their argument, the authors report quantities of confirming data; assess various explanations for the gap; review the place of education in the black experience; find the NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus, and Urban League to have “overlooked” the issue; and predictably argue for the success of No Child Left Behind, the voucher system, and charter schools. Their last chapter, “The Way Forward: A Call to Service,” concludes with a useful, thought-provoking list of suggestions. (Jan.)