The study found that just 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, the New York Times reports. Only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.
The report also says that black boys drop out of high school at nearly twice the rate of white boys, and have SAT scores that are 104 points lower, on average.
Poverty isn't the sole explanation for the differences. The report found that poor white boys do as well at reading and math as non-poor black boys. That will give a boost to those who argue for the need to look at differences in culture and child-rearing techniques. That "culture of poverty" approach, championed by the late New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has long been treated gingerly, out of concern that emphasizing cultural differences could be perceived as a form of racism. But it has been making a comeback of late.
It sure would have been nice to see if this study was broken down by school. If the black kids are failing because they are being taught in failing schools it would be more of a cause. Also if you add charter schools and vouchers to private prep schools into this equation to see how this changes test scores? I believe you can overcome a rough background if you have the right teachers and the right situation. That is why you see so many high achieving blacks that come out of the military.
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