Low-income minority students continue to face persistent achievement gaps, and Policy Analyst at the Illinois Policy Institute Hannah Schmid says those disparities are tied less to students’ abilities and more to systemic barriers that limit opportunity. Schmid points to chronic underperformance in many schools, inadequate access to experienced teachers, and policies that restrict families from choosing better-performing options as key factors holding students back. She argues that improving transparency, expanding educational choice, and redirecting resources toward proven classroom strategies can help close the gap and ensure that every student—regardless of income or background—has a fair chance to succeed.