Wrong answer!  (But understandable -- after all, this is Minnesota!   That kind of thing's not supposed to happen here!) The averaged 2003 4th grade statistics for Minnesota in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show the largest gap in the country between White pupils and Black pupils at the 4th grade level -- 30 points.  In the statistical analysis, English language proficiency was not a factor in this 30 point gap.  The White/Hispanic pupil gap in Minnesota is slightly narrower (28 points), but much narrower when English language proficiency is removed as a factor (20 points difference for pupils who are "Limited English Proficiency" and 18 points for pupils who are "Non-Limited English Proficiency").   Between Asian and White pupils,  there is no significant difference in the average scores, when English language proficiency is removed as a factor.  The gap between White and Black 4th grade pupils in Minnesota is not due to lower scores for Black pupils on the NAEP, compared to other Black 4th graders in the U.S.  It is due to the higher scores of White 4th graders, compared to the rest of the country.  However, it illustrates a lack of equity in educational outcomes in Minnesota. An important aspect of these educational gaps for our minority people is that poverty is well-documented as suppressing educational performance.  For example, the poverty rate among Minnesota Blacks is 8.8% higher than for Blacks nationally, and median family income is 6.0% lower than for Black families nationally.  Minnesota Asians have a poverty rate 50.5% higher than do Asians nationally, and a median family income that is 16.4% lower than for Asian families nationally.  American Indians have a poverty rate 11.4% higher than the poverty rate for American Indians nationally, and a median income 6.4% lower than other American Indians nationally.   Minority group poverty is a greater problem for Minnesota than for the U.S. as a whole!   Would you have guessed it? Given the fact that all minority populations in Minnesota have a greater proportion of young people represented in their numbers than in the majority White population, it is clear that these inequities are not only bad for ethical reasons, but it also threatens the economic basis of Minnesota's future.  We will need to draw more heavily in the future on the skills of young minority people entering the workforce.  Cuts in funding to Minnesota school districts in recent years have impacted programs for "at risk" pupils -- programs that are especially important for low-income families.  We can't afford to ignore lagging performance in any group of Minnesota pupils, and we must invest in the programs needed to bring everyone's performance up.  It's a big, unforgiving, highly competitive world out there, and we're all in it together! Perspective and poverty figures from www.parentsunited.org.  NAEP score gap statistics from "Limited English Proficiency, Race/Ethnicity and Socio-Economic Status as Influences on Scores in Large-Scale Assessments", James S. Terwilliger and Paul Magnuson, MN Department of Education, April, 2005.