Race or Class?

The NY Times has an article about Americans' poor math skills: "Why Do Americans Stink at Math?"

In the comments, Steve Sailer, a "conservative race demagogue" quotes essentially the upper half of the table here.  (The table is for Massachusetts, while Sailer quotes figures for the whole of the US.)

The figures are for the mathematics scores on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests.  PISA tests are conducted all around the world.  In 2012, students in Shanghai, China, topped the world with an average score of 613.   Singapore came in second at 573.   The United States scored an average of 481, way down on the list. 

Massachusetts average	514
U.S. average	481
OECD average	494
Sex
Female	509
Male	518
Race/ethnicity
White	530
Black	458
Hispanic	446
Asian	569
Multiracial	‡
Percentage of students in enrolled schools     eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
Less than 10 percent	583
10 to 24.9 percent	514
25 to 49.9 percent	493
50 to 74.9 percent	465
75 percent or more	457

Sailer says, take Asians and Whites and the US is doing quite well, thank you, in students' mathematics achievement.  In the table above, Massachusetts Asian Americans come in third, behind only Shanghai and Singapore.  Massachusetts White Americans come tenth behind only Shanghai (613), Singapore (573), Hong Kong (561), Taipei (560), South Korea (554), Macao (538), Japan (536), Liechtenstein (535) and Switzerland (531).   In this diagnosis there is nothing wrong with American schools or mathematics instruction, it is the presence of Blacks and Hispanics that drags America down.

But take a look at the highlighted part of the table.  The less impoverished students are in the school, the better the average score.  The top tier is second only to Shanghai, and beats Singapore.  The second tier matches Germany (514).  And so on.

We know race is correlated to poverty and lower per capita incomes.  We know that schools of the less well-off are often quite bad.   Viewed in this way, the American mathematics problem is one of economic class, not of race.

Which one is it? You decide.

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FYI, the eligibility in 2013-14 for free and reduced price school lunches in Massachusetts is as follows:  http://www.massresources.org/school-meals-eligibility.html#who

(FYI: the 2012 Massachusetts median per capita (not family income, but per capita income) was $34,907. )

Who is eligible for Free and Reduced Price School Meals?

Your child can get free or reduced price School Meals:

• if you are getting TAFDC or SNAP food stamps
  
• or if your household meets the income limits. See What are the income limits? below.
  Note: For foster children, use "personal use" income, not the household’s income.
  

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What are the income limits?

Your child is eligible for free school meals if your household's gross income is not greater than 130% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Your child is eligible for reduced price meals if your household’s gross income is between 130% and 185% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
For the 2013-2014 school year, the income limits are:

Free and Reduced PriceSchool Meals Programs
Gross Income Limits
(Effective July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014)

People in Household	Free School Meals 130% FPG		Reduced Price Meals 185% FPG
	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly
1	$14,937	$1,245	$21,257	$1,772
2	$20,163	$1,681	$28,694	$2,392
3	$25,389	$2,116	$36,131	$3,011
4	$30,615	$2,552	$43,568	$3,631
5	$35,841	$2,987	$51,005	$4,251
6	$41,067	$3,423	$58,442	$4,871
7	$46,293	$3,858	$65,879	$5,490
8	$51,519	$4,294	$73,316	$6,110
Each additional person	+$5,226	+$436	+$7,437	+$620

PS: In 2011-12, 35.2% of the Massachusetts student body qualified for free or reduced price lunches (30.4% free lunches, 4.8% reduced price lunches).
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/selectedpopulations.aspx?mode=district&year=2012&Continue.x=7&Continue.y=11