The achievement gap is not unique to Connecticut . It is a well know issue with nation-wide statistics to support the phenomenon. With an increasingly diverse public school population of over 15,000 students and the new standards set by No Child Left Behind federal legislation, Stamford Public Schools have an urgent need to address the issue of widening gaps in student achievement. Over 56% of the children in the Stamford Public Schools represent minority backgrounds and approximately 40% of the students are eligible for free and reduced price meals indicating economically disadvantaged households.

Despite Stamford 's economic indicators of wealth, high median income and increasing housing prices, the student achievement gap, seen most prominently in minority student groups and students from low-income households, is consistent among the students in the Stamford public schools. The recent Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) scores confirm that children are not achieving success at the same rates.

While 97% of white children scored at or above proficient in mathematics on the fall 2003 CMT test, only 73% of the Hispanic students scored at or above proficient. The gap is larger for black students with only 59% scoring at or above proficient in mathematics. Scores were similar in reading with 94% of white students scoring at or above proficient and only 64% Hispanic and 58% black students scoring at or above proficient. The gap can also be seen in economically disadvantaged students with 65% at or above proficient in math and 58% at or above proficient in reading¹.

CAPT scores have similar results with 88% of white student scoring at or above proficient in math and only 48% Hispanic and 37% black students scoring the same. In reading 100% of white student scored at or above proficient while 76% Hispanic and 72% black scored at or above proficient. Continuing the trend, 47% of economically disadvantaged students scored at or above proficient in math and 76% scored the same in reading on the CAPT test².