The Racial Gap in Women’s Ability to Pay Off Their Student Loans

For women who graduated from college in the 2007-08 academic year, Black women were able to pay off only 9 percent of their student loan debt by 2012. In contrast White women had paid off 37 percent of their student loan debt by 2012.

Study Finds Racial Disparity in Risk of Dementia

A study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and healthcare conglomerate Kaiser Permanente found that 38 percent of the Black population will likely develop dementia within 25 years after turning 65 years old.

The Racial Gap in the Selection of Students for Gifted Education Programs

A new study by researchers at Vanderbilt University finds that Black elementary school students are about half as likely as their White peers with similar standardized test scores to be assigned to gifted education classes. But when the gifted education teacher is Black, the racial gap disappears.

Study Finds Racial Gap in Salaries of Business School Graduates

The data showed that Black and White graduates of business schools earned similar salaries in their first jobs after graduating from business school. But six to eight years after leaving business schools a significant racial gap had opened up.

The Large Racial Gap in High School Graduation Rates Is Slowly Eroding

The Black student high school graduation rate in 2013-14 was 72.5 percent. The good news is that since the 2010-11 academic year the Black-White gap in high school graduation rates has declined from 17 percentage points to 14.8 percentage points.

Study Finds a Huge Diversity Shortfall in Biomedical Research

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco find that there has been little change in the number of clinical research studies that include subjects from underrepresented minority groups or in the race of scientists being funded with federal research grants.

New Report Shows the Failure of K-12 Schools in Preparing African Americans for College

A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation finds that nationwide only 15 percent of African American eighth graders were proficient in reading and 12 percent were proficient in mathematics.

Study Shows That Athletes Make Up Huge Percentages of Black Students at Many Universities

In the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I schools, an African American man at a college or university is 13 times more likely to be on a football or basketball scholarship than a White man.

High Level of Homelessness and Hunger Among Black Students at Community Colleges

The study authored by scholars at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of African American students - nearly one third of all African American students at community colleges - exhibited very low levels of food security. Some 18 percent were homeless.

Some Startling Statistics on the Racial Wealth Gap in the United States

Components of family wealth are commonly used to offset or pay college costs. In measurements of wealth, African Americans are at a major disadvantage. A new report presents some startling data on just how wide the racial wealth gap has become.

Combating Racial Disparities in Unintended Pregnancies

A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Public Health has documented characteristics of women who are likely to have unintended pregnancies allowing policy makers to tailor interventions to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies among particular populations.

Tulane University Study Finds a Racial Gap in Student Use of Salad Bars

A survey of public schools, conducted by researchers in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University, found that 60 percent of all students visited salad bars in the cafeterias. But White students were twice as likely as Black students to use salad bars.

New Evidence of the Dangers of Lead Exposure for African American Children

Black children were nearly three times more likely than White children to have very high lead levels in their blood. Studies have shown a correlation between lead exposure and sleep problems, lower academic test scores, and behavioral and neurological disorders.

The Racial Gap in Advancement Placement Test Scores

The average score on Advanced Placement examinations for African American students in 2015 was 2.05. On the AP scoring system of 5 to 1, a score of 2 is equivalent to a grade of D in a college-level course.

Black Enrollments at the University of Michigan Inch Higher

African American students make up 5.1 percent of the entering first-year class this fall. But in order for racial parity with the state's population to prevail, the number of Black students in the entering class at the would have to nearly triple.

A Check-Up on the Racial Gap in Medical School Applications and Enrollments

In 2015, the number of Black applicants to U.S. medical schools was up a whopping 16.8 percent from 2014. Blacks were 7.6 percent of all medical school matriculants in 2015. This was up from 6.9 percent in 2014.

University Study Finds U.S. Urban Schools Aren’t Measuring Up

The University of Washington study found that there has been little or no academic progress in these largely minority urban schools. In 30 of the 50 cities, less than 15 percent of the students in the urban public schools took either the ACT or SAT college entrance examination.

Demographics of Students in a Particular School Can Impact the Racial Achievement Gap

A new report from the Department of Education finds that Black students, particularly Black males, did poorer academically in schools with a high percentage of Black students. The overall Black-White achievement gap was higher in schools with a large percentage of Black students.

Faculty Diversity Is Key in the Perception of Fair Discipline in Public Schools

A new study, authored by researchers at the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri, finds that both Black and White students at public schools with a higher percentage of Black teachers have the impression that discipline is more fair than at schools with a low number of Black faculty.

Yale Students Debut Website Aimed at Ending Racial Disparities in Healthcare

Student interns at the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design at Yale University have developed SpokenMed, an information healthcare website aimed at members of minority groups who are often ignored by traditional health resources.

Report Documents Wide Racial Disparity in School Discipline in Southern States

A new study by researchers at University of Pennsylvania found that in one recent academic year, 1.2 million Black students nationwide were suspended from public K-12 schools. Some 55 percent of those suspensions occurred in 13 southern states.

The Growing Racial Gap in SAT Scores

Since 2006 when the SAT college entrance examination was revised, the racial scoring gap on the combined reading, mathematics, and writing sections of the SAT has increased by eight points.

A Large Racial Gap Persists in ACT Test Scores

The average score for Blacks on the ACT college admissions test in 2015 was lower than for any other racial or ethnic group including American Indians, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders. The racial gap in ACT scores has remained relatively constant for many years.

Higher Education Does Not Shield African Americans From the Racial Wealth Gap

From 1992 to 2013, the median net worth of African American college graduates is down by 55.6 percent. Over the same period, the median net worth of White Americans with a college degree rose by more than 86 percent.

Study Finds Lack of Racial Diversity in Hollywood’s Top-Grossing Films

Only 17 percent of the films had a lead actor from an underrepresented minority group. In 2014, 17 of the top-grossing films did not feature one Black or African American speaking character. Less than 5 percent of the directors were Black.

Increasing the Number of African American Cancer Researchers

The Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research aims to encourage Black and other minority graduate students to pursue doctoral degrees and careers in research relating to cancer.

The Vast Majority of Black High School Graduates Are Not Prepared for College

A new report from ACT and the UNCF finds that African American high school graduates are less prepared for college-level curriculum than students from any other major racial or ethnic group.

Racial Differences in How Schools Deal With Disciplinary Problems

For classroom disruptions, White kids tend to get viewed as having ADHD, or having some sort of behavioral problem, while Black kids are viewed as being unruly and unwilling to learn.

Racial Differences in Educational Attainment of Students Who Were Ninth Graders in 2009

The data show that 83.2 percent of Black ninth graders in 2009 had obtained a high school diploma by 2013. For non-Hispanic Whites, the comparable figure was 91.6 percent. Some 6.6 percent of Black ninth graders in 2009 were not in school and did not hold a job in 2013.

Stanford University Study Documents the Racial Gap in Neighborhood Affluence

The research found that Black families with an income of $50,000 live in a community where the average income is $42,579. Whites with an income of $50,000 live in a community where the average income is $53,000.

Racial Differences in the Use of Bicycle Helmets by Children

Each year, more than 3 million people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to bicycle accidents. A new study has found that among the injured children, Blacks were 62 percent less likely than Whites to have worn helmets.

University Study Offers New Evidence on DWB: Driving While Black

A new study led by Scott Decker, a Foundation Professor at Arizona State University, found that in Missouri Black drivers were more likely to be stopped, more likely to be searched, but less likely to be found with illegal items compared to White drivers.

Drexel University Students Produce Videos on Autism in the African American Community

The videos have the goal of helping families, particularly African American families, understand and overcome the emotional and other challenges associated with finding out that a child has autism.

Availabilty of Online Hook-Up Website Found to Increase HIV Infections Among Blacks

Research conducted at the University of Maryland found that the introduction of Craigslist online personal advertisements in a particular locale led to a significant increase in HIV-infections among African Americans in the area.

A Sharp Rise in Suicide Among Young African Americans

The study, led by scientists at Ohio State University, discovered that the overall suicide rate remained stable over the past 20 years but this obscured a significant increase in suicide incidence in Black children and a significant decrease among White children.

Report Documents Racial Gaps in California Higher Education

Blacks are less likely that other racial/ethnic groups in California to graduate from high school, to complete the curriculum needed for admission to campuses of the University of California or California State University, and to graduate from college.

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