1) The education gap is just a symptom, it's not the underlying cause of the problem. The problem lies in what creates that gap. There is an entire socio-economic system that exists in our society that makes it next to impossible to have a level playing field when it comes to education, starting from a very early age. Poor black kids are much more likely than wealthier white kids to live in a less than stable home environment. Some go to school hungry, or are victims of domestic abuse, have no heat or electricity at home, live in areas that are crime and gang ridden, attend schools that have antiquated textbooks and computers, no heat or air conditioning, crumbling buildings, asbestos, etc., some have to get an after school job to help support their family, and these kids are expected to focus, learn, and make the same grades as wealthier white kids who more than likely don't have these issues?
2) There's also access. Even middle class black kids fall behind because they still tend to live in poorer school districts with higher teacher to student ratios, and with poorer quality teachers. And most are lower middle class, meaning their parents don't have the extra money to afford quality tutors, or to send them to private schools or to be stay at home parents. Many live in single parent households, so their parent doesn't have as much time to devote to helping their kids with homework because they're working to keep food on the table.
3) Let's look at the opportunities for whites & blacks with equal amounts of education. Studies have shown that a black person with a Masters degree has roughly the same chance of getting a job as a white person with only a Bachelors, a black person with a Bachelors has the same chance of getting a job as a white person with only a high school diploma, and a black person with only a HS diploma has the same chance of getting a job as a white person with no HS diploma, proving that the element of racism still exists and plays a sizeable role in the job market.
4) And then there's the issue of connections. Most of my white friends got their jobs because they knew someone who knew someone who's uncle worked at "____ Company" and got them an internship, which led to a paying job. Most blacks don't have this same privilege. We don't have the same access to people in positions of power in our chosen fields. That's not to say that my white friends didn't work hard in school, but having that extra help gave them an advantage, thus the reason black people know that we have to work twice as hard as a white person just to get our foot in the door.
... please make yourself at home ... 