Since both sides believe that the reasons for the
achievement gap lie almost
entirely outside the classroom — and, in many cases, beyond the control of
students, parents, or teachers — they also contend that education reforms
focused on changing schools, helping parents, and aiding
students would be of little use.
A month later, Relay submitted a revised application, claiming it had addressed these issues; the program was again shot down, this time for
focusing its assessment training almost
entirely on student achievement tests.