Those who insist that we’ll never fix America’s public schools until we fix poverty have it exactly backwards. We will never solve poverty in America until we fix our public schools.

Maryland produces some of the country's top students. But is also home to some of the largest achievement gaps between the haves and the have-nots in the nation. 

These wide acheivement gaps are only getting wider. Some 84 percent of Hispanic third-graders and 76 percent of black third-graders scored at least proficient in math. But by eighth-grade, only 57 percent of Hispanic eighth-graders scored proficient or better in math and only 46 percent of black students did. The achievement gap widened from 10–15 percentage points to 20–30 percentage points in just five years. By eighth-grade, only 47 percent of Maryland’s low-income students scored at least proficient on the math exam.

Maryland, and the entire nation, was built on the promise of universal education for all. Public schools are the cornerstone of our democracy. Understanding what's working and what isn't in our public schools is the first step to reclaiming the American Dream for all of Maryland's children.