Cleveland | The Schott 50 State Report

Inequities in Graduation Rates

Black and White male students in Cleveland graduated at lower rates in 2005/6 than the national average. The racial achievement gap is narrower than the national average, in part because of recent improvements in the graduation rate of Black male students (although it remains the case that almost two-thirds of the district's male Black students do not graduate with their cohort) and the extraordinarily low graduation rate for White, non-Hispanic male students.

The Benchmark for graduation rates of Black male students for school districts enrolling more than 10,000 Black male students is 82% (Fort Bend, Texas).

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%
Ohio	155,098	49%	79%	30%	46%	74%	4%	5%
Cleveland	20,894	34%	35%	1%	29%	36%	5%	-1%

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Evidence of Inequities

Over half of Cleveland's White, non-Hispanic male students scored Below the Basic level on the NAEP Grade 4 Reading assessment, as did three-quarters of the district's Black male students.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Reading, Grade 4

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	26	36	29	9
	Ohio	23	39	30	8
	Cleveland	54	31	13	1
Black	USA	59	30	10	1
	Ohio	57	30	12	1
	Cleveland	74	22	4	#

At Grade 8 more than half of the district's Black male students read at less than the Basic level and virtually none reach the Advanced level.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Reading, Grade 8

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	22	46	30	2
	Ohio	17	45	34	3
	Cleveland	‡	‡	‡	‡
Black	USA	53	39	8	#
	Ohio	49	42	8	#
	Cleveland	64	31	4	#

Half of Cleveland's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 4 Mathematics, more than twice as many as the district's White, non-Hispanic male students.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Mathematics, Grade 4

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	9	38	44	9
	Ohio	6	38	46	10
	Cleveland	20	54	24	1
Black	USA	38	47	14	1
	Ohio	31	47	20	1
	Cleveland	49	42	9	#

By Grade 8, nearly three-quarters of the district's Black male students score below the Basic level in Grade 8 Mathematics and virtually none reach the Advanced level.

Percentages Of White and Black Non-Hispanic Male Students At Each Achievement Level (USA and State—2007, Urban—2005), Mathematics, Grade 8

Race	Jurisdictions	Below Basic	At Basic	At Proficient	At Advanced
White	USA	18	39	33	10
	Ohio	16	39	35	9
	Cleveland	42	42	15	1
Black	USA	54	35	10	1
	Ohio	52	38	9	#
	Cleveland	72	25	2	#

Discipline, Special Education, and Advanced Placement Inequities

The number of out-of-school suspensions given to Black male students in the Cleveland public schools was equivalent to twelve percent of Cleveland's Black, non-Hispanic male student population and the percentage of out-of-school suspensions given to White male students in Cleveland was equivalent to eight percent, in the 2004/5 school year, as reported to the Office of Civil Rights of the U. S. Department of Education.

Black, non-Hispanic male students were classified as Gifted/Talented more than half as often as White, non-Hispanic male students in the Cleveland public schools and classified as Mentally Retarded at a slightly higher rate.

Proportionate to enrollment, approximately twice as many male White students as male Black students in the Cleveland public schools in 2004/5 were allowed to participate in Mathematics Advanced Placement courses and more than twice as many in Science Advanced Placement courses. These are rather low rates of disproportionality, in national terms.