Opportunity and Equity: Enrollment and Outcomes of Black and Latino Males in Boston Public Schools

• In Event: 26.032 - Analyzing Enrollment, Outcomes, and Excellent Schools for Black and Latino Male Students in the Boston Public Schools

Abstract

BPS leaders commissioned this study to examine patterns of enrollment, access, and performance of Black and Latino males addressing the following questions: 1) What is the diversity within the male Black and Latino communities? and 2) How do Black and Latino male students perform relative to males of other races/ethnicities?

Much research concerning Black and Latino males has focused on achievement gaps between Black and Latino males compared to other groups. Less attention has been paid to the reality that every student does not receive the same opportunity to learn. This study uses an opportunity gap framework to move beyond limited notions of achievement as conceptualized by high-stakes testing, towards policy recommendations that focus on the opportunities and conditions critical to Black and Latino male success.
(Carter, Welner, & Ladson-Billings, 2013).

This descriptive, longitudinal, quantitative study investigates the diversity of experiences and backgrounds among Black and Latino male students in BPS, compared to other groups of males. Our mode of inquiry goes beyond the categorizations of “Black” and “Latino” and is designed to provide a more in-depth analysis by disaggregating Black males by geography (African, Caribbean, and North American), and Latino males by race (Black, White, and Other) and geography (Caribbean, Central and South American, and North American).

The database on which this study is based consists of non-identifiable student-level data from SY2009 to SY2012. The data include demographic variables, achievement variables, and information on discipline and programs. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, disaggregating each indicator by gender, race/ethnicity, geographical group within Black and Latino, and additionally, by racial group within Latino.

Three key study findings emerge. First, by disaggregating Black and Latino racial/ethnic groups, we demonstrate the increasing diversity of Boston’s student population. Not only have Latino males surpassed Black males for the first time in SY2012, but also the fastest growing groups of Black and Latino males are Black African, Black Caribbean, and Latino Caribbean. Second, we find striking disparities in access to educational opportunities by racial/ethnic/geographic origins. System wide, BPS tracks students as early as fourth grade, with unequal access to Advanced Work Classes and to Boston’s three elite exam schools. While 48% and 46% of Asian and White males were enrolled in exam schools, only 9% and 8% of Black and Latino males were enrolled in exam schools. Third, nested within one of the most competitive job markets in the nation, BPS Black and Latino male students (78% of all male students in SY2012) have lower graduation rates, higher suspension rates, lower attendance rates, and lower MCAS proficiency rates. Clearly, disproportionalities in access to educational opportunities translate into disparities in educational attainment for Black and Latino males – with particular groups of Black and Latino males faring worse than Black and Latino males overall.

Through its comprehensive review of Black and Latino male enrollment, opportunities, and outcomes, this paper concludes by highlighting recommendations for the district and community to better provide Black and Latino male students with the opportunities and supports to prepare them for college and/or careers.

Authors

• Christina Mokhtar, Annenberg Institute for School Reform

• Helena Miranda

• Rosann Tung, Annenberg Institute for School Reform

• Ray Ward, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

• Dan French, Center for Collaborative Education

• Sara McAlister, Annenberg Institute for School Reform