College & Workforce Readiness What the Research Says

Support for Black Boys Boosts Graduation Rates

By Christina A. Samuels — October 29, 2019 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A new evaluation of an Oakland, Calif., school district program designed to wrap black male students in a culturally rich and supportive environment is paying off.

The four-year, on-time graduation rate for black males who had access to the African-American Male Achievement Program in their freshman and sophomore years increased by about 3 percentage points since 2010. The centerpiece, the Manhood Development Program, was rolled out to high schools over time. Thus, researchers at Stanford University were able to compare its impact on students who were in the program with similar black male students enrolled in schools that weren’t yet participating.

The study also notes that Oakland saw overall graduation rates among black male students increase from 46 percent to 69 percent between 2010 and 2018, which was a faster rate of improvement than the district-wide graduation rate among all students.

A version of this article appeared in the October 30, 2019 edition of Education Week as Support for Black Boys Boosts Graduation Rates

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness Should Students Sign Up for AP or Dual Enrollment? What Readers Think
EdWeek readers share their take on the debate over pathways to earning college credit in high school.
4 min read
Educators at the College Board's AP annual conference learn about various AP program offerings intended to address access and equity to advanced coursework for underrepresented students in Seattle, Wash. on July 20, 2023.
Educators at the College Board's AP annual conference learn about various AP program offerings intended to address access and equity to advanced coursework for underrepresented students in Seattle, Wash. on July 20, 2023.
Ileana Najarro/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Parents Value 'Workforce Development.' Here's How to Get Their Support for CTE
The ways in which schools and policymakers talk about career and technical education influences parents' support for it.
4 min read
Students make measurements to wood to add to a tiny home project during their shop class at Carrick High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Dec. 13, 2022.
Students make measurements to wood to add to a tiny home project during their shop class at Carrick High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Dec. 13, 2022.
Nate Smallwood for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Common App Will Offer Some Students Direct College Admission. Its CEO Explains
A new program aimed at motivating more first-generation, low-income students to go to college launches this month.
7 min read
Illustration of a college building and diverse students.
Collage via iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion To Help Students, One Company Has Unlocked $100 Million a Year in College Aid
A peer-based mentoring organization encourages high school seniors to apply to college and helps them receive financial aid.
7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty