Ms. Thernstrom talked about the book she co-authored with her husband, No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning, published by Simon and Schuster. The book examines the racial gap in academic achievement between whites and Asians, on the one hand, blacks and Hispanics on the other hand that is the source of ongoing racial inequality in America. It cites statistics based on standardized test scores and looks at the historic and cultural factors at work in the low academic achievement of blacks and Hispanics and the high achievement of Asians, compared with white students. Also described are several inner-city schools across the nation free of many of the constraints that compromise education in traditional public schools. Many have succeeded in educating minority children and provide models for educational reform. Ms. Thernstrom also discussed the background of the authors and what controversies the book had aroused.