Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities (fwd link)

[phil cash cash]

Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities

National Center for Educational Statistics
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007039

This report profiles current conditions and recent trends in the education
of minority students. It presents a selection of indicators that illustrate
the educational achievement and attainment of Hispanic, Black, American
Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
students compared with each other and with White students. In addition, it
uses data from the 2005 American Community Survey to detail specific
educational differences among Hispanic ancestry subgroups (such as Mexican,
Puerto Rican, or Cuban) and Asian ancestry subgroups (such as Asian Indian,
Chinese, or Filipino). This report presents 28 indicators that provide
demographic information and examine (1) patterns of preprimary, elementary,
and secondary school enrollment; (2) student achievement and persistence;
(3) student behaviors that can affect their education; (4) participation in
postsecondary education; and (5) outcomes of education. · The report finds
that over the past quarter century, minority students have made gains in
key education areas, such as completing high school and earning a college
degree. However, gaps in academic performance persist between students of
most minority groups and White students. · In 2004, minorities represented
42 percent of the public prekindergarten through secondary school
enrollment; however, this percentage ranged widely by state, from 80
percent in Hawaii to 4 percent in Vermont. · On the 2005 National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment, higher
percentages of Asian/Pacific Islander 4th-graders and 8th-graders scored at
or above Proficient than did American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic,
and White students at the same grade levels. · In 2005, the percentage of
16- to 24-year-olds who were high school status dropouts (the percentage
who had not completed high school and were not currently enrolled) was
higher among Hispanics than among Blacks, Whites, and Asian/Pacific
Islanders. · Among Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds, the percentage of status
dropouts among those who were foreign born (38 percent) was more than twice
that of their native counterparts (13 percent). · Between 1976 and 2004, the
percentage of total undergraduate enrollment who were minority students
increased from 17 to 32 percent. In 2004, more postsecondary degrees were
awarded to Blacks than Hispanics, despite the fact that Hispanics
represented a larger percentage of the total population. · From 1990 to
2005, all racial/ethnic groups experienced an increase in the percentage of
adults age 25 and over who had completed high school, and the percentages of
White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska
Native adults with bachelor’s degrees also increased.