Georgia | The Schott 50 State Report

Inequities in Graduation Rates

Black male students in Georgia in 2005/6 graduated at lower rates than the national average, as they had in 2004/5, as did White male students. Therefore, the racial gap is narrower in Georgia than the national average.

The Benchmark for graduation rates of Black male students for states enrolling more than 10,000 Black male students is 74% (New Jersey).

Male Students		Graduation Rate 2005/6 (est.)			Graduation Rate 2004/5
	Black Males	Black	White	Gap	Black	White	Black Change	White Change
USA	4.3 mil.	47%	75%	28%	47%	74%	0%	1%
Georgia	308,716	40%	58%	18%	38%	58%	2%	0%

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Evidence of Inequities

NAEP Grade 4 Reading results for Georgia are slightly above those for the nation as a whole for both Black and White, non-Hispanic male students.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Reading, Grade 4, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	26	36	29	9
	Georgia	23	40	30	7
Black	USA	59	30	10	1
	Georgia	59	31	10	#

At Grade 8, in line with national results, twice the proportion of the state's Black male students read at less than the Basic level than is the case for the state's White male students; half read below the Basic level and virtually none reach the Advanced level.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Reading, Grade 8, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	22	46	30	2
	Georgia	21	49	28	2
Black	USA	53	39	8	#
	Georgia	51	40	8	#

Over three times the share of Georgia's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 4 Mathematics as the state's White, non-Hispanic male students. Both groups are near national averages.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Mathematics, Grade 4, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	9	38	44	9
	Georgia	10	42	41	7
Black	USA	38	47	14	1
	Georgia	35	51	13	1

By Grade 8, more than half of Georgia's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 8 Mathematics and only one percent reach the Advanced level.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level, Mathematics, Grade 8, 2007

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	18	39	33	10
	Georgia	20	40	32	8
Black	USA	54	35	10	1
	Georgia	55	35	9	1

Discipline, Special Education, and Advanced Placement Inequities

The number of out-of-school suspensions given to Black male students in Georgia was equivalent to twenty percent of Georgia's Black, non-Hispanic male student population. The number of out-of-school suspensions given to White male students in Georgia was equivalent to eight percent of the state's White, non-Hispanic male enrollment in the 2004/5 school year, as reported to the Office of Civil Rights of the U. S. Department of Education. More than half again as many Black male students in proportion to enrollment were expelled as were White male students.

Less than one-quarter the percentage of Black male students were admitted to district Gifted and/or Talented programs as that for White male students, while more than two times as many were classified as Mentally Retarded. If male Black children had been admitted to Georgia's Gifted and/or Talented programs had been admitted at the same rate as White male children, at least 25,000 more would have been in those programs.

In proportion to their respective shares in the student population, more than three times as many White male students were allowed to take Advanced Placement Mathematics classes and more than three times as many also were allowed to take Advanced Placement Science classes as Black male students.