{
  "id": 18127792,
  "title": "Are schools a great equalizer? They help kids catch up, but wealthier children still pull ahead",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/are-schools-a-great-equalizer-they-help-kids-catch-up-but-wealthier",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-04T13:27:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation",
    "slug": "the-conversation",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/are-schools-a-great-equalizer-they-help-kids-catch-up-but-wealthier-children-still-pull-ahead-295330"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1848, education reformer Horace Mann called public schooling “the great equalizer of the conditions of men.” Yet more than 175 years later, education scholars remain divided on whether Mann was correct. While some research indicates a child’s family background significantly influences their academic achievement, other studies suggest schools can narrow these achievement gaps. A 1980s study of Baltimore children during the school year found low-income and wealthier children learned at similar rates. However, achievement gaps widen over the summer when some children engage in enrichment activities like reading with parents, visiting libraries, and attending camps, while others lack such opportunities.\n\nThe disparity in early childhood experiences is considerable. Our 2026 study, which analyzed 10 national surveys tracking 77 investment types, reveals that children from the poorest fourth of families receive about $44,000 less in total investments than those from the richest fourth by age 5 – a 24% gap. Most of this gap is due to housing and childcare costs. However, a significant shift occurs when children enter elementary school, where the gap in total investments between the wealthiest and poorest children is reduced by half, from 24% to 12%. Notably, for Black children, this gap shrinks even more, from 20% in early childhood to just 7% once they begin kindergarten. This is a crucial finding as research shows that additional school spending can improve academic achievement and long-term outcomes, particularly for low-income students.\n\nSo, why don’t achievement gaps close during the school years? Part of the explanation lies in the nature of the additional resources schools provide. Our research indicates that children from the lowest-income families receive 72% more in tutoring and 68% more in special education than their higher-income peers, and Black children get more than twice the tutoring compared to their white counterparts. These services aim to help students catch up, but the resources allocated to catch up are not equivalent to those aimed at getting ahead. Tutoring has been a primary tool for catch-up, especially since the pandemic, with schools increasing their reliance on it. Federal Title I money and pandemic relief funds have enabled schools to expand tutoring programs, with high-poverty districts and those serving students of color benefiting the most. However, for many low-income, Black, and Latino students, tutoring is not a new experience. According to our data from 2014 to 2021, about 17% of school-age children were receiving tutoring, with 25% of Black children and 19% of Latino children utilizing this service compared to 14% of white children. Of the Black, Latino, and low-income students who received tutoring, over 75% were receiving it through public schools. Despite this, even with additional tutoring and special education services, achievement gaps persist and remain wider than they were before the pandemic.",
  "summary": "By some measures, schools are a great equalizer for children coming from different backgrounds. But this isn’t the full story.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}