Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania decided the best way to find out how to improve the academic performance of young black and Latino men was to go to the real experts: Successful minority students.
They interviewed 325 high-achieving black and Latino juniors and seniors from New York City public schools and 90 who had gone on to college to learn how they succeeded.
The high school students attributed their success to several factors, including: high expectations from family, meaningful relationships with educators who promoted a college-going culture, and developing positive reputations that kept gang members from recruiting them.
The college students had a harder time building relationships with professors. Forty-seven percent earned a college GPA above a 3.0, but most experienced a slight drop in grades compared with high school.
