ABSTRACT
This last study, by Scarr et al., differs from earlier ones, not only by being more recent, but also by showing that Indian and possibly Pakistani children (the numbers in this latter group are very small) although obtaining IQ scores hardly different from those of white children of 11 or 12, obtained rather low scores at age 8; unlike West Indian children, they showed substantial gains between these two ages. The data are shown in table 2. Scarr et al., also reported data from GCE and CSE exams and from university entrance which suggested that the pattern of differences apparent by age 12 was maintained, West Indian children lagging far behind white and Indian children, who did not differ from one another. The most extensive data on this point were published by Swann (1985), and table 3 reproduces the results of a survey of school leavers from six (1978/79) and five (1981/82) LEAs. The new and surely welcome finding is that West
Indian children are showing a small but significant improvement over this relatively short period of time, but otherwise the picture is a familiar one: the gap between West Indian and white children remains large; Asian children cannot be distinguished from whites.
