A report by the Oakland-based Education Trust–West organization documenting the educational status of African-American youth in Los Angeles County has painted a dismal picture of the college readiness and college completion prospects for a cohort that makes up one-third of all Black K-12 students in California.
Among the findings in At a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Picture of How African-American Youth Fare in Los Angeles County Schools, African-American students are much less likely to take the rigorous college prep courses required for admission to California public universities. Released last week, the study, which overall revealed mostly poor outcomes for its subjects, predicts that just one of every 20 African-American kindergartners will graduate from a four-year university if current conditions fail to improve.
The report amasses data on academic achievement, suspensions and the psychological conditions of 135,000 Black students in 81 public school districts in LA County. In addition, the report analyzes special education identification rates and health and wellness data collected in the California Healthy Kids Survey. It also pinpoints data in a number of school districts where Black students are faring well on certain outcomes, including academic performance, graduation rates, suspension rates and health and wellness indicators.
“This report reveals that the vast majority of these students are not receiving the opportunities they need to succeed and to ultimately achieve their college and career dreams,” Education Trust-West analyst and report author Lindsey Stuart said in a statement.
The report indicates that over the past decade, the overall African-American student population has declined in the county and in many school districts. Relying on student achievement data, the report locates insistent gaps in math and English language arts at both the elementary and secondary levels. The report also shows that high school graduation rates lag across the board, particularly for Black males.
Arun Ramanathan, the Education Trust-West executive director, told The Los Angeles Times that California essentially operates “a school-to-prison pipeline” for African-American students, in which “they are more likely to go to prison than college.”
“We need to forcibly intervene as a California community to prevent this from continuing,” he said.
