Montgomery County, Maryland, is one of the most racially diverse counties in the United States. Four different ethnic groups — white, black, Hispanic, and Asian —
all comprise at least 15 percent of the population of the county, not to mention a vast mixed-race population as well. It is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation by average household income.
It also has a high "racial achievement gap." The Stanford Educational Opportunity metric pegs the black/white
achievement gap score at 3.09, and the black-Hispanic/white-Asian gap even higher, which means that the average white or Asian eighth-grader in Montgomery County scores more than three grade-levels higher on standardized performance exams than the average black or Hispanic student.
Apparently, by the standards of the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) system, the racial achievement gap is nothing short of an educational crisis or profligate systemic failure. Current MCPS superintendent Jack R. Smith
wrote in the Washington Post, "For 50 years, the achievement gap in Montgomery County has grown in the shadows while many of our county's schools and students garnered well-deserved praise and earned awards... This disparity in academic outcomes is a crisis in our community that must be addressed."
Comment: Volatility and predictions of a downturn in the markets continue despite enormous stimulus pledges, RT reports: Following the report above that US made some gains on the 17th March, on the 18th US stocks plunged 1,400 points right after the opening bell: The oil price has dropped to its lowest level since 2003 as demand for energy halts and amidst fears of a global recession: