article: The answer is complicated. Increasing school resegregation - the renewal of segregation - and the continuing inequality of black students is resulting in lower achievement and graduation rates, signalling a reversal of civil rights gains. Achievement disparities, referred to widely as the black-white achievement gap or test-score gap, frequently position black students at the low end of the scale and white (and Asian) students at the top. This situation often engenders simplistic individual and group explanations for the gap, which frequently frame the lives and educational experiences of black children in ways that involve a deficit of some sort. However, there are enormous variations in these students' social, economic, historic, political and educational opportunities. When gaps in achievement are addressed without a deliberate investigation of racial inequities, students, parents, teachers and neighbourhoods tend to be blamed for the poor educational outcomes of black students. I contend that inquiries into how black students perform in school must include investigation of the harsh disciplinary sanctions in public schools for black students, the disinvestment in black neighbourhoods and why the least prepared teachers are those most likely to serve black students. I would be remiss if I did not say that some schools and educational settings have made tremendous strides toward creating equitable spaces. However, these advances are few and far between and, when present, reflect only incremental and slow growth when it comes to improving black students' educational outcomes. If their failure in potential includes opposing those who would position them as failures, who defy low expectations, then the question we should be asking is: Are schools failing to live up to their potential for equitably educating black students? Additionally, black students are experiencing intense levels of stress and challenge. Many are exposed to a bevy of chronic stresses that include, but are not limited to, disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards, violence and poor healthcare, which negatively impact their educational outcomes. Recent research has challenged the educational community to better understand the long-term physical, mental, emotional and psychological effects of living in a white-dominated and privileged society, and its threats to the mental and physical health of black students. Moreover, black students live within an additional state of fragility because of how their intellects and life chances are positioned in this society. Despite this, many of them resist this unfair placement by striving for educational success, demonstrating that black students have the wherewithal and ability to develop robust academic identities that minimise but do not eliminate the impact of being marginalised. Moreover, some black students develop and implement coping mechanisms to safeguard academic hardiness and provide a counter-defence against negative evaluations and low expectations in what are often toxic and discriminatory educational environments. Racial biases often place undue burdens on black students who already experience multiple forms of discrimination and prejudice, while the educational and social institutions they learn in, perpetuate white privilege. Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields are a particular cause for concern because within them there are more pronounced stereotypes, extreme competitiveness and gender inequities regarding the abilities and competencies
summary: The gap between black and white pupils' achievement is widening in the USA - so what are the causes and what barriers are preventing this problem being overcome?