A Deeper Look into Black-White Graduation Gaps
Michelle Chen, In These Times | August 21, 2010

It appears that despite Washington’s attempts to close the racial “achievement gap,” the educational colorline still looms over Black youth.

According to a study by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, fewer than half of Black male students graduated from high school on time in the 2007-2008 school year, compared to 78 percent of their white peers—a gap of more than 30 percent. Since educational attainment is closely linked to economic prospects, the study affirms what advocates have long argued about the roots of the country’s structural racism. It’s another indictment of an educational system that tracks children of color into an adulthood rife with social and economic inequality.

The study’s results varied by state. In New York, for instance, Black male graduation has slid down over the years to a dismal 25 percent, leaving a Black-white gap of more than 40 percent. The rate in neighboring New Jersey, however, was more than 65 percent. The report attributes the relative success to the state’s aggressive Abbott reform plan, which targeted resources to close racial gaps. (Read the full article)