In this book, four psychologists use scientific inquiry to understand what helps and what hinders the academic and life performance of minority students and girls in the United States, asking questions such as: What has desegregation accomplished? Can performance at school be enhanced by facilitating improvements in parent-child interactions? Why are levels of achievement in mathematics and science low for girls and minorities? What stops women and minorities from choosing and completing degrees in science and engineering?

Each chapter communicates a vital area of scientific investigation to politicians and policymakers who are invited to think and act upon these anomalies, which show no sign of diminishing.