SAT results from the class of 2009 show a widening gap between the scores of certain minority groups and Asian-American and white students.

We’re looking at media perspectives on what’s contributing to the gap and how to narrow it. We’ve got insight from the College Board, Wall Street Journal, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, New York Daily News and Las Vegas Sun.

A press release from the College Board, the association that created the SAT, reports that 40 percent of over one-and-a-half million students who took the exam were minorities.  That makes the class of 2009 the most diverse class ever to take the exam.

The Wall Street Journal reports which of these students lagged behind.

“Noting the gap in achievement between lower-performing minority students and the general population, College Board officials said those who lagged tended to go to school in poorer districts with fewer resources.”

ABC News points out that the link between achievement and resources goes beyond what school a student attends.

“This year, 50 million dollars will be spent on online tutoring alone.  Millions more on group classes, at a thousand dollars a pop and even more on private tutoring.  Critics say it’s unfair.  There’s a direct correlation between the level of income of a student’s family and how high their test scores are.”

MSNBC takes that a step farther, bringing race into the discussion:

“College Board officials don't attribute the widening SAT scoring gap directly to race but to factors that correlate with race, such as the likelihood of exposure to a rigorous high school curriculum.”

On CNN, Laurence Bunin from the College Board suggests that these factors create the same patterns of achievement on all tests.

“What you’re really seeing is that the playing field really isn’t fair.  It’s not the SAT that’s the problem.  It’s any measure of educational achievement is going to show the same thing.”

An op-ed in The New York Daily News explains why Asian-Americans are staying ahead of the curve.

“Privileged or not, they are able to communicate the importance of study and high-quality performance to such an extent that their children remain ahead of all other ethnic groups.”

But the issue is larger than just the SAT, says Education Secretary Arne Duncan, in an editorial from the Las Vegas Sun.

“…a little less than 10 percent of the public high schools in the United States produce half of the nation’s dropouts. By putting extra resources where they are most needed, the nation could see dramatic improvements."

What’s at the root of the widening achievement gap?  And what should be done?