Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth in Boston

Deep disappointment hangs over the Bay State as its enlightened policies have failed to lessen the "racial acievement gap." According to this Boston Globe article

Not one Boston elementary school is significantly boosting the scores of black and Hispanic students on the state's English and math tests, renewing concerns that the schools have made no headway in narrowing the achievement gap between those students and whites and Asians, according to a report announced last night.

And this is not a new development.

The gap in achievement between blacks and Hispanics and other elementary students has not narrowed since the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams were first given in 1998, school officials say.

Imagine that. Eight straight years of failing to make any progress whatsoever on a primary objective. I confess I would pretty much give up and pronounce the whole endeavor hopeless and admit to having fought the good fight but ultimately powerless to change the sociological constant*. But then again, Boston's Red Sox went 85 years without winning the world series and then finally won one, so perhaps Bostonians just don't quit that easily. Sawx fans blamed their plight on the "Curse of the Bambino." The Boston school system seems to have no firmer finger on the root causes of its losing streak:

At the Winthrop Elementary School in Dorchester, where 97 percent of students are black or Hispanic, an independent consultant began training teachers last September on developing high expectations of students. Principal Emily Shamieh and teachers met with 75 parents on a Saturday, asking the parents to describe the dreams they had for their children and to discuss ways to overcome the obstacles.

The result of this well-thought-out program?

Only 20 percent of black students and 10 percent of Hispanic students at the Winthrop scored "proficient" on the 2005 English MCAS. In math, 7 percent of blacks and 5 percent of Hispanics scored "proficient."

Now my question to anyone reading this post - do you really believe any of this nonsense? Does anyone, in their heart-of-hearts, believe that this "achievement gap" is under any foreseeable scenario (that would exclude major advances in technological therapies) significantly reducible? Or is everyone just going thru the unending motions of making a good-faith effort to show they care, constantly expressing shame at the failed result and vowing to readdress the problem with renewed fervor, all the while cognizant of the inevitable futility of their efforts?

* Although probably just an artifact of the testing or due to the younger age of the cohort, the math score gap as shown by this graphic is 10 percentage points narrower than the typical 1 s.d. gap. The 84% of white children passing the math test would suggest closer to 50% of black children would pass, while their actual pass rate was 60%.