Report Examines Long-Term Outcomes of State-Level Affirmative Action Bans
The National Bureau of Economic Research has examined the long-term effects on educational attainment and economic outcomes for Black and Hispanic students in Texas, California, Washington, and Florida - the first four states to ban affirmative action in higher education admissions decisions.
The Racial Gap in the Homeless Population in the United States
A new report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows that in January 2024, nearly 228,000 of the 771,000 homeless population was African American. Thus, Black Americans made up 29.5 percent of all those classified as homeless.
The Universities That Awarded the Most Doctorates to African Americans From 2019 to 2023
Walden University, headquartered in Minneapolis but conducts most of its business online, awarded 1,536 doctorates to African Americans during the five-year period. This was 12 percent of all doctorates awarded to Black Americans during the five-year period. The only other universities awarding more than 200 doctorates to African Americans were two historically Black educational institutions, Howard University and Jackson State University.
Study Finds Racial Disparities in Student Loan Defaults and Repayment Patterns
Over the past two decades, 50 percent of Black and 40 percent of Hispanic student loan borrowers have experienced a loan default, compared to 29 percent of their White counterparts.
First-Year Law School Enrollments: Black Women Up, Black Men Down
In the fall of 2024, Black students made up 7.7 percent of all first-year students at law schools in the United States. Among the 2024 cohort of 3,060 entering Black students, 2,099 were women. Thus, women made up nearly 69 percent of all Black first-year law students.
While Diversity Among College-Educated Adults Increases, Diversity in the Teacher Workforce Lags Behind
A new study has found that while diversity has grown among America's college-educated adults , diversity in the country's teacher workforce is lagging behind.
African American Fatalities at Work Declined in 2023
The number of Black Americans killed at work in 2022 was the highest number recorded since statistics on workplace fatalities have been collected. But in 2023, Black fatalities at work declined by more than 10 percent.
Specific Fields Where No African Americans Earned Doctorates in 2023
In 2023, 890 doctoral degrees were awarded in fields where none of the recipients were African Americans.
Ending Affirmative Action May Not Produce a More Academically Gifted Student Body
Scholars from Cornell University have found removing race data from AI applicant-ranking algorithms results in a less diverse applicant pool without meaningfully increasing the group's academic merit.
The Status of Black Representation in American Law School Faculty
Despite remaining far below the representation of White professors, Black law faculty are the second most represented racial group in their field.
There Are Large Racial Gaps in Doctoral Awards in Specific Disciplines
African Americans earned 7.7 percent of all doctorates earned by U.S. residents and permanent residents. But Blacks are vastly underrepresented in some disciplines. For example, Blacks earned only 1.9 percent of all doctorates awarded in the geological sciences, 1.2 percent of all mathematics doctorates, 2.5 percent of all doctorates in physics, and 1.9 percent of all doctorates in astronomy.
Study Finds Steep Decline in Black First-Year Enrollment at Highly Selective Universities
Among highly selective institutions, Black first-year student enrollment dropped by a staggering 16.9 percent this year, the sharpest drop of any major racial group. This was the first admissions cycle since the Supreme Court ended the use of race-sensitive admissions at colleges and universities.
Scholars From Sub-Saharan African Nations Teaching at U.S. Colleges and Universities
There were 3,213 scholars from sub-Saharan African nations teaching at U.S. colleges and universities in the 2022-22 academic year. This was up more than 44 percent after nearly a 50 percent increase in the prior year.
The Number of African American Doctorates Reaches an All-Time High
Some 2,725 African Americans earned doctorates from U.S. universities in 2023. This is the highest number ever recorded. African Americans earned 4.7 percent of all doctorates awarded by U.S. universities in 2023 and 7.7 percent of all doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens or permanent residents of this country.
Huge Surge in American Students Studying Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa
According to the latest Open Doors report from the Institute on International Education, there were 9,163 Americans studying in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2022-23 academic year, up 98.6 percent from the previous year. Nearly 39 percent of these students attended universities in the Republic of South Africa.
Young Black Women Are Significantly Outpacing Black Men in Educational Attainment
The race-gender gap in degree attainment among Black Americans is surging. Today, Black women are 14 percentage points more likely to hold an undergraduate degree than their male peers.
Black Americans Are Significantly Less Likely to Receive Palliative Care for Heart Failure
According to a new study led by Saint Louis University, Black patients with heart failure are 15 percent less likely to receive palliative care than their White counterparts.
A Significant Increase of Students From Sub-Saharan Africa at U.S. Colleges and Universities
Among sub-Saharan African nations, Nigeria in 2023-24 sent the most students to American colleges and universities. The number of students from Nigeria was more than double the number of students from any other sub-Saharan African nation. Nigerians made up more than one third of all students from sub-Saharan Africa who studied in the United States in the 2023-24 academic year.
How U.S. Laws and Policies Affect High School Students’ College Decisions
According to a new study from CollegeIQ, high school students from all backgrounds are most concerned about campus gun laws and local DEI policies when choosing what college to attend to. However, these concerns are particularly pronounced among Black students.
People With HIV Living in Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Are Less Likely to Receive Effective...
Despite the official abolition of redlining in 1968, its legacy continues to harm communities of color to this day. A new study has found an association between living in these neighborhoods and delays in HIV treatment.
Southern Education Foundation Reports on the State of Education for Black American Students
The report, Miles To Go: The State of Education for Black Students in America, outlines the current challenges and opportunities facing Black students in early childhood, K-12, and secondary education settings in the United States.
Study Examines the Effect of Financial Instability on the Cognitive Health of Older Black...
In their analysis, the authors found that Black Americans, on average, had less low-cost debt during midlife than Americans from other racial groups, resulting in economic distress that may prevent them from receiving high-quality healthcare later in life.
How Ads With Interracial Couples Affect Consumer Perceptions
A team of scholars from the University of Kentucky, the University of Illinois, and the University of Georgia have found that consumers tend to prefer ads featuring interracial couples more than ads with White couples, but less than ads featuring same-race minority couples.
How Early Childhood Education Affects Black Children’s Future Success
Over the past fifty years, a team of researchers have tracked 104 predominately Black participants from infancy to adulthood to determine how early childhood education affects their long term outcomes. Although they received the same education, Black boys had significantly lower cognitive scores than Black girls once they reached high school and beyond.
Report Finds a 30 Percent Racial Gap in Median Appraised Home Values
According to a new report from the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, there has been some improvement in the Black-White gap in adjusted median home appraisal values over the past 10 years. However, the gap is still a staggering 30 percent.
CDC Report Documents the Effect of Racism on Youth Mental Health, Suicide Risk, and...
According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black students and other students of color who experienced racism in high school were over two times as likely to seriously consider suicide compared to those who had not experienced racism.
Nonwhite Patients Are Significantly More Likely to Have Preventative Care Insurance Claims Denied
Scholars from the University of Toronto have found nonwhite patients are nearly twice as likely as White patients to have an insurance claim denied. On average, they also pay more out-of-pocket costs when their claims are denied.
Black Men Remain Underrepresented in the Physician Assistant Profession
From 2012 to 2021, the number of applicants to physician assistant and associate programs grew by 64 percent. However, the share of Black male applicants to these programs remained around 2 percent over this same time period.
Significant Racial Disparities Found in Chronic Absenteeism Rates for New York High School Students
Nearly half of all Black high school students in New York City, and over two-thirds of Black students in all large cities throughout the state of New York were chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school year.
HBCUs Spend a Significant Proportion of Their Revenue on Instructional Expenses
According to a new report from the Wesley Peachtree Institute, HBCUs spend a significantly higher proportion of their revenue on instructional expenses than non-HBCUs, suggesting an urgent need to increase investments in HBCUs through the lens of their higher expenditures.
The Importance of Same-Race Peer Groups for the Success of African American Doctoral Students
Scholars from George Washington University have shed light on the importance of participation in same-race peer groups for African American doctoral students' academic success and mental health.
Working With Predominately White Co-Workers Increases Turnover Rate for Black Women
In a new study from Harvard University, scholars have found Black women are the only race-gender group adversely affected by working with primarily White co-workers. Compared to White women, they are 51 percent more likely to leave their job within two years.
American Academy of Arts & Sciences Tracks the Status of Humanities Degrees at HBCUs
In 2022, HBCUs awarded 2,907 bachelor's degrees in humanities fields. This was a 15 percent decrease from the recent high of 3,434 degrees awarded in 2014.
Strong STEM Aptitude in High School Does Not Translate to STEM College Enrollment for...
A new study from New York University has debunked a popular theory that early STEM success in childhood translates to STEM enrollment in higher education. According to their findings, a significant proportion of Black students who score well in STEM high school classes ultimately do not declare a STEM major in college.
Federal Report Uncovers Racial Disparities in the Persistence of First-Time College Students
Among all first-time postsecondary students who began their higher education in 2019-2020, 22 percent were no longer enrolled in any institution three years later. When broken down by race, nearly 30 percent of Black students in this group were no longer enrolled in higher education after three years, compared to one fifth of their White peers.
Black Junior Professors Receive Unfair Decisions When Seeking Promotions and Tenure
A new study led by the University of Houston has found Black and Hispanic junior faculty members are more likely to receive negative votes and less likely to receive unanimous approvals from their promotion committees. They are also judged more harshly for their academic output compared to peers with similar productivity.
