Factual Friday, Curiouser and Curiouser Edition: June 11, 2010
“Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).
— from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
•Number of states in which 80 percent or more of all white students graduate from high school in the standard four-year period: 23
•Number of states in which 80 percent or more of all black students graduate from high school in the standard four-year period: 5 — Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, and Idaho
(U.S. Department of Education)
• Percentage of all black students enrolled in higher education in 1980 who were male: 43.8%
• Percentage of all black students enrolled in higher education in 2007 who were male: 35.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)
• Percentage of white Americans who believe that blacks have an equal chance with whites to secure a good education: 80%
• Percentage of black Americans who believe that blacks have an equal chance with whites to secure a good education: 49%
(Gallup/USA Today poll)
• Percentage of white parents of preschool children in 2007 who believe that it is important to teach their children the alphabet: 66%
• Percentage of black parents of preschool children in 2007 who believe that it is important to teach their children the alphabet: 43%
(U.S. Department of Education)
• Percentage of white parents of preschool children in 2007 who believe that it is important to teach their children about numbers: 62%
• Percentage of black parents of preschool children in 2007 who believe that it is important to teach their children about numbers: 43%
(U.S. Department of Education)
• Percentage of white parents of preschool children in 2007 who read to their children every day: 67%
• Percentage of black parents of preschool children in 2007 who read to their children every day: 35%
(U.S. Department of Education)
• Median earnings in 2006 of a white American aged 25 to 34 who held a master’s degree: $50,000
• Median earnings in 2006 of an African American aged 25 to 34 who held a master’s degree: $50,000
(U.S. Department of Education)
• Percentage of white parents whose children are enrolled in urban public schools who state that “race is not a factor in the success of children at my child’s school”: 71.8%
• Percentage of black parents whose children are enrolled in urban public schools who state that “race is not a factor in the success of children at my child’s school”: 72.8%
(National School Boards Association)
• Percentage of black public school students in the United States who attend school where 75 percent or more of all students are members of minority groups: 50.1%
• Percentage of white public school students in the United States who attend schools where 75 percent or more of all students are members of minority groups: 3.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)
• Number of African Americans nationwide in 2004 who earned bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry: 67
• Number of African Americans in 2004 who earned bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry at the University of Maryland Baltimore County: 22
(University of Maryland Baltimore County)
• Median income of college-educated white women who worked full-time in 2005: $43,110
• Median income of college-educated African-American women who worked full-time in 2005: $45,273
(U.S. Census Bureau)
Posted by Ajuan Mance
Posted in Uncategorized
June 23rd, 2010 at 9:31 am
Great info. The numbers sometime surprise me.
August 8th, 2010 at 5:58 am
Wow. That’s incredible. Educated African Americans make the same as educated white Americans! And apparently social work and teaching pay better than whatever thing white women with Masters degrees are doing.
The stats on numbers of parents who read to their preschoolers and teach them numbers explains, way better than racism or white privilege, why African American kids have such low graduation rates, incidentally.
August 8th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
In reviewing the items listed here in the Factual Friday, a few really caught my attention. For example, the statistic indicating that out of 50 states, there are only 5 that manage to graduate 80% of their black students. This sets the tone for the remainder of the listed facts and aides in explaining why the number of black males enrolled in college dropped from 43.8% in 1980 to 35.2% in 2007. If there are 45 states that cannot manage to ensure these students make it out of high school, the chances of them enrolling in higher education are slim. The facts regarding parents’ seeing the importance of educating their children while in preschool also speaks to why there are other areas were black students are underrepresented and trail behind their white peers. It is highly important for every aspect of a black child’s educational experiences to be packed with support, reinforcement and relevant encounters. I see this as the only way to combat these negative statistics.