Achievement Gap in Higher Grades

Excellent principals, teachers and curricula are the ingredients for higher student achievement in general. Pittsburgh's accelerated learning academies extend the day and the year in neighborhoods that need an achievement boost. Some portion of the achievement gap is due to a disparity in opportunities available to students outside of school, with some students adding to their advantages in their free time and others losing ground. Pittsburgh Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt says school districts' responsibilities must expand to address this fact with after school and summer programs. When coordinated with the schools, community groups can also play a large and positive role in closing the achievement gap. Listen to a longer version of this story.