You may have heard conflicting information of late about whether student achievement gaps in the District of Columbia are widening or narrowing. As with most conversations about school data, there is nuance to addressing the question, and the answers rarely come with complete certainty. We take a comprehensive look at many data points to try and determine if DC schools are helping to narrow gaps for traditionally disadvantaged student groups.

In this blog post, we examine the following key questions related to the academic achievement and improvement of DC's at-risk students: How has the correlation between school level proficiency and percent of at-risk students tested changed over time? Is the pace of at-risk proficiency gains improving and when will DC at-risk students close the achievement gap with their national higher income peers? What school level operational and instructional policy decisions are helping to improve at-risk outcomes?

Over the last two decades, the District's demographic makeup has shifted in small and large ways, becoming more affluent with black/African American residents comprising a smaller share of the total population. Given the correlation between achievement and affluence, how much of the District's overall proficiency gains might be attributable to population changes and how much to overall student improvement?