Minnesota | The Schott 50 State Report

Inequities in Graduation Rates

Black and White male students in Minnesota graduated at higher rates in 2005/6 than the national average, rising from the rate in 2004/5. The racial achievement gap remains at 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%
Minnesota	36,664	59%	86%	27%	55%	85%	4%	1%

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Evidence of Inequities

NAEP Grade 4 Reading results for Minnesota are about the same as those for the nation as a whole for both White, non-Hispanic and Black male students. Over half of the state's Black male students read below the Basic level at Grade 4.

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
	Minnesota	22	37	32	9
Black	USA	59	30	10	1
	Minnesota	58	30	10	2

At Grade 8 the situation is similar, with half of the state's Black male students reading at less than the Basic level and virtually none reaching 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
	Minnesota	19	48	31	2
Black	USA	53	39	8	#
	Minnesota	50	41	8	#

More than one-third of Minnesota's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 4 Mathematics, five times as many as the state's White, non-Hispanic male students.

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
	Minnesota	7	31	47	14
Black	USA	38	47	14	1
	Minnesota	36	47	15	2

By Grade 8, more than half of Minnesota's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 8 Mathematics and 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
	Minnesota	14	38	35	14
Black	USA	54	35	10	1
	Minnesota	53	33	12	1

The Benchmark for Black male students in Grade 8 Reading is Massachusetts, with 62% of Black male students scoring at or above Basic.

The Benchmark for Grade 8 Mathematics is Texas, with 63% of Black male students scoring at or above Basic.

Discipline, Special Education, and Advanced Placement Inequities

The number of out-of-school suspensions given to Black male students in Minnesota was equivalent to twenty-one percent of Minnesota's Black, non-Hispanic male student population. The number of out-of-school suspensions given to White male students in Minnesota was equivalent to four 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, more than seven times as many Black male students were expelled as were White male students.

Black male students were admitted to district Gifted and/or Talented programs at less than two-thirds the rate of White male students, while nearly twice as many were classified as Mentally Retarded. If Black male children had been admitted to Minnesota'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, more than four times as many White male students were allowed to take Advanced Placement Mathematics classes and more than twice as many also were allowed to take Advanced Placement Science classes as Black male students, .