NPC Newsmaker: Closing the Opportunity Gap

At a National Press Club Newsmakers news conference on April 25, 2013, the authors of a new book and education reform campaign called Closing the Opportunity Gap argued that the current intense emphasis on standardized test scores and other educational outcomes is counter-productive – as demonstrated by the recent cheating scandals in Atlanta, Washington, DC and elsewhere. They explained why a real improvement in learning depends on a balanced new direction – one with less emphasis on measuring outcomes and more focus on addressing inputs, thereby closing the opportunity gap. Along with these researchers, the Obama Administration has been drawing attention in recent months to the opportunity gap and to spending on inputs such as programs for early childhood education and English language learners.