Start a public conversation on the “achievement gap” in the U.S., and rumbling beneath it will be a dangerous myth that is several centuries old. This is the myth that some race groups are smarter than others. See Stephen J. Gould’s Mismeasure of Man for the history of how “science” contributed to creating this myth.

Here’s some valid science from the nation’s foremost association of psychologists that counters the “race and intelligence” myth.

According to the American Psychological Association (Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns (1995/6)), first of all, scientists are not very good at measuring “intelligence” and “ability” at all. Scientists try to measure these with IQ tests. But IQ tests insufficiently measure “intelligence,” which is a phenomenon just too complex to be so easily quantified. There are just too many versions of skill, ability, and intelligence to quantify someone’s “intelligence” with a number.

Despite this fact that “intelligence” is a phenomenon just too complex to be easily quantified, we often call IQ test scores someone’s “intelligence.”

The Association notes that there are some small average differences across “racial” lines on IQ test scores. “White” people often score slightly higher than “black” people, for example. But the statement makes very clear that there is no empirical support for genetic explanations for these differences.

The Association also makes clear that many life experiences contribute to a child’s IQ test score. Various differences in life experience could likely be the cause of the IQ test score differences, just like differences in life experience are the cause of other forms of racial “achievement gap.” It finds no empirical support for genetic explanations.

Remember this: an IQ test score, like any test score, is affected by many life experiences. These include children’s educational experiences over time; their experience (or lack thereof) of formal schooling; and their experiences of certain forms of instruction.

Remember this: ANY test score is, in some part, the result of life experience – including countless interactions with teachers inside schools.

As a renowned psychologist colleague put it to me recently, people think we are measuring something “innate” when we give an IQ test. They forget that we are measuring the outcome of training (education, and life experience).

So anyone claiming that race groups are differentially INTELLIGENT should be challenged. Children’s life experiences often differ along racial lines; their intellectual capacity does not. As we show in EAR, antiracism in schools is often about refuting the myth that some race groups are smarter than others.