Statistics: Black males are . . .
. . . more likely to attend schools that are under-resourced and performing poorly.
Currently, only 15% of black students attend schools that are well-resourced and high performing, while 42% attend schools that are both under-resourced and performing poorly.1 In high poverty and minority schools, students are 70% more likely to have a non-certified teacher in a specific subject, and only 40% of such schools offer physics courses and 29% offer calculus. 2
. . . less likely to obtain college degrees.
Only 16% of black males hold college degrees, compared to 32% of white males.3
. . . three times more likely to be suspended or expelled from school than their white peers, therefore missing valuable learning time.
Black students, most often males, are punished with out-of-school suspension nearly three times more often than white students.4
. . . 2.5 times less likely to be enrolled in gifted and talented programs, even if their prior achievements reflect the ability to succeed.
Only 3% of black male students are enrolled in gifted and talented programs.5
. . . 2.5 times more likely to be classified as mentally challenged by their schools.
3% of black male students are classified in this manner, as compared to only 1.4% of white male students. Black male students make up 20% of all students in the United States classified as mentally retarded, although mentally retarded students are only 9% of the student population as a whole.6
. . . more likely to have under-prepared and ineffective teachers.
Research of minority-dominant schools shows that 28% of their core academic teachers lack appropriate certification.7
. . . less likely to graduate from high school in four years than their white peers.
Only 52% of black males who entered high school in 2006 graduated in four years, compared with 78% of white non-Latino males and 58% of Latino males.8
. . . twice as likely to drop out of high school as their white peers.
In 2009, 4.8% of black students dropped out of grades 10 through 12, compared to 2.4% of white students.9
Sources:
1 Schott Foundation for Public Education. "National Opportunity to Learn Campaign. Federal Recommendations."
2 Toldson, Ivory A. and Chance W. Lewis. "Challenge the Status Quo."
3 Ibid.
4 Lewin, Tamar. "Black Students Face More Discipline, Data Suggests." The New York Times, March 6, 2012.
5 Black Alliance for Educational Options. "Urgent Need."
6 The Future of Children. "Special Education for Students with Disabilities: Analysis and Recommendations."
7 Black Alliance for Educational Options. "Urgent Need."
8 Gamboa, Suzanne. "High School Graduation Rate for Black Males Trails White Students." The Huffington Post, September 19, 2012.
9 Zhao, Emmeline. "High School Dropout Rates for Minority and Poor Students Disproportionately High." The Huffington Post, October 20, 2011.