Among many seemingly intractable problems in education, there’s one wide learning gap between the haves and have-nots that we know how to close: the extracurricular gap.

Here’s the problem: Low-income and minority students are at a structural disadvantage when it comes to accessing out-of-school opportunities. Children from low-income families are three times less likely to participate in after-school programs. By sixth grade, middle-income students will have spent nearly 4,000 more hours in after-school and summer learning programs than their lower-income peers. And parents in low-income and minority households are more likely to report a lack of available learning opportunities on offer in their communities.