Recent reports show that there is still a significant achievement gap between white and black males in Illinois. Throughout the state, there is a 36% differential between the graduation rates of white and black males. In Chicago alone, the difference increases further to 44% with black males continually falling behind their peers.
This is not a new trend and it’s one that seems to be moved to the backburner for every other bit of education news. The Alliance of Excellence in Education reported in 2006 that “The costs of dropping out are born not just by individuals, but by the communities in which they live, and the rest of society. The potential economic benefit of improving students’ academic outcomes should be a wake-up call to the importance of reforming America’s high schools. Dropouts from the class of 2008 will cost the United States almost $319 billion in lost wages over their lifetimes.”
This is a loss our country cannot afford to suffer, and neither can our black community. Chicago in Focus: A Profile from Census 2000 tells us that Chicago has the sixth highest black poverty rate among the 23 Living Cities. Educators and reformers alike will tell you that poverty leads to higher dropout rates and vice versa. It is the cycle between the two that has to stop to truly give our kids a chance.
Connect with Teach America’s Children to see how we can help you and your children find the resources and assistance they need to overcome the obstacles that are hindering their education, whether they are economic, geographic or social. We all need to work together to increase our community’s graduation rates.
Posted By: Paul Adams
Tuesday, August 24th 2010 at 5:36PM
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