"Steady Gains and Stalled Progress is one of the first books to look at the relationship between trends in economic inequality and the racial achievement gap. The contributors show that while income inequality does not directly lead to racial differences in test scores, it creates and exacerbates disparities in schools, families, and communities - which do affect test scores." "The gap in black and white test scores is one of the most salient features of racial inequality today. Steady Gains and Stalled Progress provides the detailed information and powerful insight we need to understand a complicated past and design a better future."--Jacket.