Many expert historians will tell you that if you do not study the past and learn from those studies, you are destined to fall victim to the same pitfalls. With this advice in mind, explain the role that research has played in providing a framework for analyzing and dealing with achievement gaps throughout the United States over the past 30 years. Describe the key intervention strategies that have been prescribed in an attempt to close the various achievement gaps.

The fact that effective teaching makes a difference in terms of student learning has been an accepted premise in public education for decades. And while master teachers intuitively differentiate their instructional strategies based on individual student needs, far too many schools and teachers do not. In fact, many techniques and processes in schools throughout the nation are actually contributing to the achievement gaps rather than helping to close them. With this focus in mind, describe the various cultural obstacles that have been preventing key intervention strategies from closing the achievement gaps. Give examples of the various state, district, and school structures that contribute to, or help to alleviate, the various achievement gaps.