The Effects of the Anti-Drug Act of 1986 on Black Male Students' College Enrollment

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Perspectives on Federal Policy

Abstract

While research documents that rates of college access and completion have increased during the past several decades, the trend data also reveal differences by race and gender, with Black men having lower levels of college enrollment and completion than other groups and experiencing a slower rate of growth in college outcomes. This paper explores one possible reason for the educational gaps experienced by Black men. Using variation in state marijuana possession and distribution laws, this paper examines whether the Anti-Drug Act of 1986, which led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black males for drug possession and manufacture, also led to differences in college enrollment and graduation rates by race and gender.

Author

• Tolani Britton, Harvard University