Dive Brief:
- Fourth- and eighth-graders showed small test gains in reading and math this year, Education Department data showed.
- Achievement gaps persist between whites and blacks, whites and Hispanics, and low-income and more affluent students.
- Experts concerned about American students' place in the world say the U.S. still has a long way to go.
Dive Insight:
The data provide many local snapshots of improvements and struggles. For example, the District of Columbia had the biggest score gap between white students and black or Hispanic students in each subject and grade level. At the same time, D.C. schools showed gains in both math and reading at both grade levels over the past two years — an achievement few states matched.