Why Do Minority Test Scores Still Lag behind Whites?

A gap in achievement scores still exists between whites and minorities. This is true for all minorities, including Hispanics and Native Americans. Attempts to close proficiency gaps have been spotty, sometimes successful and sometimes failures. Schools, sociologists, and thought leaders across the country have been debating this question for years: why do minority test scores still lag behind whites?

Studies show Hispanic and African Americans are far below their Asian and white counterparts in terms of graduation rates. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Asian and Pacific Islanders have the largest percentage of high school graduates, with almost 90%; whites are not far behind, while 84% of blacks receive their high school diploma. Hispanics, meanwhile, have a total population of 63% that receive high school educations, with Mexicans the lowest portion of this demographic, at 57%.

College graduates are dramatically lower for all ethnicities, with 13.9% of those with Hispanic origins receiving their college degree, and only 20% of blacks.

NPOs like Excelencia in Education have attempted to use collaborative action to increase educational attainment for Latinos and Hispanics. Excelencia in Education created an initiative in 2010, Ensuring America's Future by Increasing Latino College Completion, in an effort to improve the number of Latinos that finish their degrees.