By reducing class size we will close the achievement gap in public school education, caused by prior neglect especially since the civil rights era of the sixties. Additional, highly qualified and specialized teachers will more effectively manage a smaller class size and serve more individual student needs in the crucial early grades, where a solid foundation helps learning. Research supports closing the achievement gap with smaller classes and an increased number of qualified teachers. (Promising Initiatives to Improve Education in Your Community--February 2000, Class-Size Reduction) A history of racism, sexism, and ethnic prejudice was commonly ignored in American social life and schools, as we embraced the myth that everyone shared a happy society made up of people with the same cultural values. Class size was not an issue at the time because there was far less diversity. The typical class size in the 1950s was 35 to 40 per teacher. The 1964 Civil Rights Act would also integrate the schools and choice became a new reform providing options for the disenfranchised to attend better schools. The Civil Rights Act also recognized a democracy which include the political spectrum. Sexism and racism remained among the most controversial issues. New programs included Class Size Reduction Program, PL94-142, IDEA, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Title 1 and accountability were implemented. President George W. Bush signed into law NCLB Act--the most sweeping education reform of federal education policy. There are successes and failures in Charter school but it is a positive vehicle for bringing class size in alignment with pedagogy to close the achievement gap. (A bibliography is included.)