in these correlates of achievement among racial/ethnic and income groups, and those differences do mirror the achievement gaps. The unavoidable conclusion is that if we are to close the gaps in achievement, we must first close the gaps in these life experiences and conditions. (Paul E. Barton and Richard J. Coley, Parsing the Achievement Gap II, Educational Testing Service, Policy Information Report, April 2009, p. 3.) http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICPARSINGII.pdf
Others have also emphasized the importance of ―nonschool factors,‖ relating them to closing achievement gaps for low-income kids and schoolbased reform. Signers of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education statement endorsed these views: Evidence demonstrates, however, that achievement gaps based on socioeconomic status are present before children even begin formal schooling. Despite impressive academic gains registered by some schools serving disadvantaged students, there is no evidence that school improvement strategies by themselves can substantially, consistently, and sustainably close these gaps. Nevertheless, there is solid evidence that policies aimed directly at education-related social and economic disadvantages can improve school performance and student achievement. The persistent failure of policymakers to act on that evidence — in tandem with a school improvement agenda — is a major reason why the association between disadvantage and low student achievement remains so strong. (A Broader, Bolder Approach to Education: The Challenge, June 10, 2008.) http://www.boldapproach.org/statement
Jessica R. Wolff expressed this view regarding poor kids and what she termed ―comprehensive educational opportunity,‖ the name of a project she directs at Columbia University‘s Teachers College, as she wrote the following: Research clearly shows that for disadvantaged children to obtain a meaningful educational opportunity, they need both important schoolbased resources like quality teaching, and critical out-of-school resources like quality early learning experiences, physical and mental health care, after-school and summer programs, and family engagement—what we call ‗comprehensive educational opportunity.‘ (Jessica R. Wolff, letter to the editor on ―Can Teaching Overcome Poverty‘s Ills,‖ The New York Times, April 30, 2011, p. A18.) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/opinion/l30nocera.html?_r=1&amp
Educational psychologist David Berliner summarized out-of-school factors (OSF) that affect students‘ health and learning opportunities in a 2009 EPIC report, as follows:
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