Education - Educational Attainment

In the United States, education is often presented as a way out of poverty to a better life. Many observers believe education is the key to narrowing the economic gap between the races. Unfortunately, minority students are generally more likely than their white counterparts to drop out of school.

Progress for African-American Students

In the late nineteenth century about two-thirds of white school-age youth attended school, while only about one-third of African-American children did. The attendance gap narrowed during the twentieth century until, by the mid-1970s, a similar proportion of African-American and white school-age children were enrolled in school. In 2000 African-American students made up 16.6 percent of the nation's public school population. (See Table 7.1.) Most of the African-Americans enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade resided in the South, with the fewest African-American students enrolled in the West. (See Figure 7.1.)

While the average academic performance of African-American children, in general, remains below that of white students, high school graduation among African-Americans has risen considerably. In 2000 African-Americans were less likely than non-Hispanic whites and Asians/Pacific Islanders (APIs) to have a high school diploma, but they were more likely than Hispanics to have received a diploma. Approximately 78.5 percent of African-Americans age twenty-five and older had graduated from high school, compared to 88.4 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 85.7 percent of APIs, and 57 percent of Hispanics. (See Figure 7.2.)

The percent of African-American high school graduates who enrolled in college has fluctuated throughout the period from 1972 through 2001, from a low of 35.8 percent in 1982 to a high of 61.9 percent in 1998. Nevertheless, in 2001, 54.6 percent of African-American students who had completed high school or earned a GED sought higher education. (See Table 7.2).

Hispanic Educational Attainment

Although Hispanics made modest gains in education in the 1990s, low educational attainment has been a major hindrance to their economic advancement in the United States. In 2000 Hispanics trailed behind other groups in graduation rates. Only 57 percent of Hispanics age twenty-five and older had received high school diplomas, compared to 88.4 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 78.5 percent of African-Americans, and 85.7 percent of APIs. (See Figure 7.2.)

As of 2000, APIs (43.9 percent), non-Hispanic whites (28.1 percent), and African-Americans (16.5 percent) age twenty-five and older were more likely to have graduated from college than Hispanics (10.6 percent). (See Figure 7.2.)

A language barrier may be one of the reasons Hispanics trail other racial and ethnic groups in educational attainment. In 1999, 25.1 percent of Hispanic students in kindergarten through twelfth grade spoke mostly Spanish FIGURE 7.1
Percentage of public school students enrolled in grades K–12 who were minorities, by region: 1972–2000 at home. Approximately 28.2 percent of Hispanic students in kindergarten through fifth grade spoke mostly Spanish at home, 20.6 percent of Hispanic students in sixth through eighth grades spoke mostly Spanish at home, and 22.4 percent of students in ninth through twelfth grades spoke mostly Spanish at home. (See Table 7.3.)

Hispanics were also less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to enroll their children in early childhood care and education programs. In 2001 only 39.8 percent of Hispanic children (ages three to five) were enrolled in early childhood care and education programs, compared to 59 percent of white children and 63.7 percent of African-American children. (See Table 7.4.)

Asian-American Attainment

In recent years, many Asian-American students have accomplished stunning academic achievements. It is not unusual for high school graduations to have students with Asian names as valedictorians and salutatorians. Educators often point with pride to these high-achieving students, who have often overcome both language and cultural barriers.

One reason for the high educational attainment among Asians may be a high cultural value placed on learning. A survey of kindergarten teachers conducted in fall 1998 found that Asian-American kindergartners were more likely to be classified as "eager to learn" than children of other racial and ethnic groups. Approximately 80 percent of Asian-American kindergartners were often eager to learn, according to the survey, compared to 66 percent of African-American kindergartners, 78 percent of white kindergartners, and 70 percent of Hispanic kindergartners. (See Table 7.5.)

In 2000, 85.7 percent of adult Asians and Pacific Islanders age twenty-five and over had completed high school, slightly lower than the rate for non-Hispanic whites (88.4 percent). Even more significant was API performance at the college and university levels. In 2000, 43.9 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders had earned at least a bachelor's degree, a higher rate than other groups. Non-Hispanic whites had the next highest percentage of graduates, with 28.1 percent. (See Figure 7.2.)

Native American Attainment

Native Americans—which include American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts—have the lowest educational attainment of all minority groups, attributable in part to a high drop-out rate. A study funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) during the 1993–94 school year found that there were approximately 39,300 students attending BIA and tribal schools, with another 452,500 Native American and Alaska Native students in public schools and 22,000

TABLE 7.1
Percentage distribution of public school students enrolled in grades K–12 who were minorities: October 1972–2000

		Minority enrollment
October	White	Total	Black	Hispanic	Other
1972	77.8	22.2	14.8	6.0	1.4
1973	78.1	21.9	14.7	5.7	1.4
1974	76.8	23.2	15.4	6.3	1.5
1975	76.2	23.8	15.4	6.7	1.7
1976	76.2	23.8	15.5	6.5	1.7
1977	76.1	23.9	15.8	6.2	1.9
1978	75.5	24.5	16.0	6.5	2.1
1979	75.8	24.2	15.7	6.6	1.9
1980	72.8	27.2	16.2	8.6	2.4
1981	72.4	27.6	16.0	8.7	2.9
1982	71.9	28.1	16.0	8.9	3.2
1983	71.3	28.7	16.1	9.2	3.4
1984	71.7	28.3	16.1	8.5	3.6
1985	69.6	30.4	16.8	10.1	3.5
1986	69.1	30.9	16.6	10.8	3.6
1987	68.5	31.5	16.6	10.8	4.0
1988	68.3	31.7	16.5	11.0	4.2
1989	68.0	32.0	16.6	11.4	4.0
1990	67.6	32.4	16.5	11.7	4.2
1991	67.1	32.9	16.8	11.8	4.2
1992	66.8	33.3	16.9	12.1	4.3
1993	67.0	33.0	16.6	12.1	4.3
1994	65.8	34.2	16.7	13.7	3.8
1995	65.5	34.5	16.9	14.1	3.5
1996	63.7	36.3	16.6	14.5	5.3
1997	63.0	37.0	16.9	14.9	5.1
1998	62.4	37.6	17.2	15.4	5.1
1999	61.9	38.1	16.5	16.2	5.5
2000	61.3	38.7	16.6	16.6	5.4
Note: Percentages may not add to 100.0 due to rounding.
SOURCE: "Table 3-1. Percentage Distribution of Public School Students Enrolled in Grades K–12 Who Were Minorities: October 1972–2000," in The Condition of Education 2002, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC, 2002 [Online] http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002025.pdf [accessed March 11, 2004]

in private schools in the United States. Of this number, about 4,000 dropped out, withdrew, or were chronically truant from the BIA and tribal schools, while another 11,500 withdrew, dropped out, or were chronically truant from public schools. Reasons for leaving varied, depending on enrollment in BIA or public schools, with 47.3 percent of those leaving BIA schools citing family problems, compared to 16.6 percent of the public school dropouts. More than 14 percent of public school students who left said they did so because they "didn't like school, teachers, or other students," compared with 10.8 percent of BIA students. Another noticeable difference was among those citing alcohol or drug abuse as their reason for leaving school; 13.9 percent of those leaving BIA/tribal schools listed substance abuse as a reason, while only 3.7 percent of public school students did. (See Table 7.6.)

The Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) is working to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for the Native American population. Established in the late nineteenth century, the OIEP oversaw more than 200 schools and colleges located on sixty-three reservations in twenty-three states across the United States in 2004. They FIGURE 7.2
High school and college graduates by race and Hispanic origin, 2000
(Percent of the population aged 25 and older) served approximately 60,000 students representing 238 different tribes. In January 2001 the OIEP convened a group of leaders and educators who developed a set of goals for programs to achieve in the next five years. Known as the "Meeting of 100," the group anticipated that by 2007:

• All children will read independently by third grade.
• 70 percent of students will be proficient or advanced in reading and math.
• Individual student attendance rate will be 90 percent or better.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of their language and culture to improve academic achievement.
• Enrollment, retention, placement, and graduation rates for post-secondary students will be increased.