In my own writings I have often called attention to the enormous performance gap between poor and middle class schools in this nation. The other 38 all scored higher. To eliminate this colossal gap will require a colossal effort. To date, we have lacked the political will to undertake it. That these schools have so many additional resources going for them, as described above, only emphasizes that difficulty.
Poverty is like gravity, a condition that affects every aspect of life.
People tried for centuries, without success, to overcome gravity and fly. They succeeded on a systematic basis only when they attached immense power to the right design. Diminishing the enormity of the task, as she does, is itself a dodge.