The Future of U.S. Educational Inequality: What Went Wrong, and How Can We Fix It?

• In Event: 49.015 - AERA Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award (2014) Address: Adam Gamoran (#AERAEd)

Abstract

Fifteen years ago I offered two predictions about the future of inequality in education: (1) a decline in black-white inequality and (2) a steady state of inequality by socioeconomic origin. Both predictions were incorrect: thus far, racial gaps have been slow to change and economic gaps have gotten worse. What went wrong? Is the current rise in inequality inevitable, or can it be addressed? These questions pose tough challenges for researchers, but answering them may point towards new directions for research that can help identify programs, policies, and practices that may get my predictions back on track and perhaps even exceed my optimistic expectations.

Author

• Adam Gamoran, William T. Grant Foundation