"We have a new study that's based on a very large national data set -- so we are not just talking about North Carolina. North Carolina is included in this, but we are really talking about national trends," says Dr. Walden, a professor of agricultural and resource economics. "And what this study looked at was academic achievement over the first two years of school. The study did find a gap when students entered between white, African American and Hispanic students, although the researchers said that that gap could actually disappear when you adjust for socioeconomic characteristic.

"But here is the interesting findings: Over time -- and of course, again -- the education gap between white and African American students actually increased, whereas the gap between white and Hispanic students narrowed," Walden explains.

The question of why -- whether it's due to factors such as parental involvement, teaching techniques or neighborhood effects -- isn't addressed by the study. Still, Walden says, "This is a very revealing study, and I'm sure it will be debated and discussed in the years ahead."