Indiana | The Schott 50 State Report

Inequities in Graduation Rates

Black and White male students in Indiana in 2005/6 graduated at lower rates than the national average, as they had in 2004/5. The racial gap is slightly wider in Indiana 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	4.3mil.	47%	75%	28%	47%	74%	0%	1%
Indiana	65,371	43%	73%	30%	40%	71%	3%	2%

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Evidence of Inequities

NAEP Grade 4 Reading results for Indiana are slightly lower than 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
	Indiana	30	35	28	7
Black	USA	59	30	10	1
	Indiana	62	30	8	#

At Grade 8, in line with national results, half of the state's Black male students read at less than the Basic level, which is more than twice the proportion for the state's White male students, and virtually no Black male students 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
	Indiana	25	46	28	2
Black	USA	53	39	8	#
	Indiana	53	38	8	#

Four times the share of Indiana's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 4 Mathematics as the state's White, non-Hispanic male students, a result slightly better than the national average.

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
	Indiana	8	40	45	8
Black	USA	38	47	14	1
	Indiana	32	53	13	1

By Grade 8, over half of Indiana's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 8 Mathematics, and not 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
	Indiana	18	40	32	10
Black	USA	54	35	10	1
	Indiana	55	37	7	#

Discipline, Special Education, and Advanced Placement Inequities

The number of out-of-school suspensions given to Black male students in Indiana was equivalent to a quarter of Indiana's Black, non-Hispanic male student population. The number of out-of-school suspensions given to White male students in Indiana was equivalent to nine 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. In proportion to enrollment, almost half again as many Black male students were expelled as were White male students.

Less than half the percentage of Black male students were admitted to Gifted and/or Talented programs as White male students, while nearly two times as many were classified as Mentally Retarded. If Black male children had been admitted to Indiana's Gifted and/or Talented programs at the same rate as White male children, at least 2,000 more would have been in those programs.

Given their respective shares in the student population, nearly five times as many White male students were allowed to take Advanced Placement Mathematics classes and more than four times as many were allowed to take Advanced Placement Science classes as Black male students.