Closing the Achievement Gap Recommendations from the California P-16 Council California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell convened the P-16 Council, an assemblage of education, business, and community leaders, to examine strategies for closing the achievement gap in California, with particular attention to socioeconomic and ethnic gaps. The Council released its report in January 2008. The 90-page report is available free as a PDF from the California Department of Education website: Full Report (PDF)