Does this National Study prove Whites are smarter than other races?

Question

The link to this national report
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070222/ap_on_re_us/math_reading_scores;_ylt=Ag9FThtsgP3pNXmk6VNby_DMWM0F

Quote From Report:
As in the past, the math and reading scores showed large achievement gaps between white students and minorities.

Forty-three percent of white students scored at or above proficient levels on the reading test, compared with 20 percent of Hispanic students and 16 percent of black students.

On the math test, 29 percent of white students reached the proficient level, compared with 8 percent of Hispanics and 6 percent of blacks.

The gap in reading scores between whites and minorities was relatively unchanged since 2002.

The federal No Child Left Behind law has put added emphasis on math and reading, largely in the elementary- and middle-school grades. It also requires states to separate out their test scores by race so officials can track and try to narrow achievement gaps between groups of students.

Answer 1

It proves that whites go to better schools and are more willing to learn. The test didn't include Asians who are very intelligent, and have strong work ethics.

Answer 2

Why did this study not approach or include those students of the Asian race? You have to dig behind the study and see the person/company that is behind the study - there may possibly be some agenda's in place. I'm white, and quite frankly, I've always been of the OPINION that the Asian people were the Smartest. Now, the whites may be innovative/creative, but the Asians can pick up on that and improve.

All races contribute in all areas. Some more than others. But it does NOT mean intelligence factors into all things. Why is intelligence so important? I.Q. isn't all it is cracked up to be. What is more important is E.Q. - Emotional Quotient. Those with high E.Q.'s have better relationships, better marriages, hold jobs down better, have more patience, have control of their emotions, and are very stable individuals. Why not run E.Q. tests on people?

How many high I.Q. people wind up as street people because they are so cerebral that they fail in interacting with people, and therefore, can not hold down a job and wind up unable to support themselves? It happens often. Studies claim that the brunt of people in jails have lower education and intelligence, yet, it is more of a lower E.Q. that is a factor, and not their I.Q. The criminal mind is impatient and chooses the shortest route to their goal, which is usually illegal, and comes from poor decision-making skills and highly charged emotions.

One problem I have with the people of my own - white race - is this: They are so full of independence and self-reliance that they are downright unfriendly to bully those who are struggling or preceived as weaker. It is a rarity for me to find a white person to assist me when I'm struggling; it is more likely that a person of color will come to my aid.

So, take studies with a very large grain of salt. I do.

022207 2:59

Answer 3

Not really. It comments more on the quality of education students may be getting. To determine *if* there was a difference between the various races you'd have to compare apples to apples not the whole fruit basket. So, you'd need to compare the same social economical groups to each other i.e suburban middle class families of various races to each other. A high number of any given race in under funded inner city schools would skew the results in an overall comparison.

While the sentiment behind the "no child left behind" act is good, I think that it actually hurts the children by teaching to a test and not teaching them what they really need to know. If anything, I'd say that the current educational system is one left behind, i.e. teachers and staff are underpaided, systems are underfunded, not enough studies into how to maximized learning in a classroom, etc...

Answer 4

One can structure a study to prove any point of view. When I was in college, some of my sociology classmates and I conducted a survey about the popularity or lack thereof of a visiting professor. We asked students via a questionairre whether they had attended the professor's lectures and what they thought of his points of view. We asked for a brief analysis of the lectures and whether the professor should be invited back again.

While some people found the professor objectionable, the majority of students polled thought that the professor's lectures were very interesting and that he should be invited back.

The professor never existed. We made him up out of whole cloth.

Answer 5

No, it doesn't prove anything for a number of reasons. In all likelihood, in most high schools across America, there are significantly more white students than students of any other background. Thus, when you take percentages, your statistics are skewed because you're more likely to have "smart" students in a certain demographic if there are MORE of them. Secondly, many minority groups face some kind of financial/economic difficulty that doesn't allow them to receive the same level of education as many white students. This isn't to say that white people can't be poor, but I'm simply stating a fact that is generally agreed upon. You also have to consider that many minority students do not have English as their primary language, so it's kind of obvious that these students would do worse than students who learn English first.

Answer 6

No it doesn't. It simply proves that white people have, in general, received a better education than the minorities mentioned.

Frankly, I'm stunned that such a small percentage of those polled rated as "proficient or above" on a reading test. Basically this means that 57% percent of white people are almost illiterate.

Answer 7

Who conducts the study, white people or minorities?
And still, Europeans are always going to smarter than Americans-black, white, or Hispanic.

Answer 8

I have yet to see a definitive study comparing whites and Smurfs. If my recollection serves me correct Brainy Smurf may indeed be the smartest being in the universe. As for the No Child Left Behind Act, I cannot really add any useful input. However, I know a similar bill proposed by Papa Smurf named the "No Smurf Left Behind Act" was repealed by Gargamel and his evil bastard cat Azrael.

Smurfs vs. Whites..... you be the judge.

You know what they say.....
Once you go blue....

Answer 9

Not necessarily, it depends on the standard of teaching and their social influences. I bet if they went to a deep south redneck school they'd score just as bad, if not worse. If the different races of kids were tested all at the same schools with the same teachers and in a equal number then it might prove something but not much.

Answer 10

The focus on "race" as an issue with regard to "intelligence" is not only inflammatory, it is also ignorant of other dominant factors.

That "on average" children of minorities perform poorly when compared to children of "whites" without adjusting for socio-economic inequalities is like saying that desert trees don't grow as well as forest trees.

I would posit that, adjusting for things such as income-levels, school quality, education level of parents, and family situations would definitely begin to whittle away at the perceived "racial" inequalities of most studies like this.