Too Many Children Left Behind: The U.S. Achievement Gap in Comparative Perspective

“This carefully researched book documents that family background matters more in accounting for the academic success of children in the United States than for those in Canada, the United Kingdom, or Australia—all countries that have experienced similar economic shocks and have large immigrant populations. The authors make a compelling case that differences among the countries in social supports for families, labor market policies, and education policies all play roles in explaining this pattern. Too Many Children Left Behind will be sobering to readers in the United States, but it provides a source of hope that public policies matter in leveling the playing field and improving the life chances of children from low-income families.”

—RICHARD J. MURNANE, Thompson Research Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education