Educational Statistics: Some Information Blacks Should Consider
Dr. Edward Valeau

Enrollment in public schools rose from 1985 to 1997. Today, there are approximately 46.3 million students in public elementary and secondary schools. But during that 12 year period, private school enrollment also rose, somewhat slower, but it grew from 5.6 million to 5.9 million students.

In higher education, the figures in public school enrollment rose from 9.4 million in 1980 to 11.2 million in 1997. In private schools, the figures rose from 2.6 million in 1980 to 3.1 million. The trend in both the elementary and secondary education on to higher education is that private schools, while growing, grow at a considerably slower rate.

Between 1987 and 1997 costs at public colleges rose by 20%, while costs at private colleges rose by 31%. The 1996 figures indicate that at public colleges, an undergraduate year would cost $6,534. At private colleges, an undergraduate school year would cost $18,071. These costs give some explanation for why the private schools are growing much slower. However, these figures are for four year universities, not for community colleges.

The costs at community colleges are much lower than the State universities or the UC system for undergraduates. This is true throughout the nation. For example, a three unit course at a community college would cost $45; at a university that same course would cost approximately $500, and that course is transferable to those State universities. This difference results in a number of university students going back to the community colleges and taking more units at the cheaper rate and transferring them to the State universities; it also results in more high school graduates going directly to community colleges first, loading up on as many cheaper units as they can transfer, then going on to the university to finish up their undergraduate studies.

Going to the community college first, earning the cheaper units to transfer to the universities is an economically wise strategy. However, many students and their parents are so enameled with the notion of the named university that they get into them as soon as possible and at great costs.

During the 1970's Black students were more focused in school and more likely to attend college after graduation. Their statistics were in line with the national average. But during the 1990's that trend had reversed itself. The numbers had gone from 45% to 36%. However, there are more Black students attending college today than there were in the 1970's. But there are more blacks and more US citizens today.

Another trend that seems to be emerging is that more Blacks are headed back to the historically Black colleges. These colleges have enhanced themselves considerably from many years ago. The facilities have modernized and the faculty is on par with and often better than many of the public and some of the private schools. Even today, Meharry Medical College produces more black doctors than any other medical school in the nation.

For Blacks ages 25-34, the enrollment rates are higher than the national average--11%, in contrast to a 9% national average. For Blacks ages 35 years and older, their college enrollment doubles the national average of 2% (as compared with 4% for Blacks). It seems that the older Blacks get, the more they realize the need for an education and they go back to school more frequently than others. It would be nice if that wisdom could be transmitted to younger Blacks, especially our Black males engaged in self destructive behavior for the sake of machismo and self expression.

We see that at the 25-29 year old category, there is significant increase in Black educational endeavors. From 1971 to 1997, the percentage of Blacks high school completers rose from 59% to 87%, a national average. There are many reasons to explain this rise--the Civil Right Movement was a significant factor, and most blacks were in the south, in which the Civil Rights Movement born. Thereafter, many of the most brilliant blacks moved north, west, and east. However, there is a movement-trend that is discernable of blacks returning back to the south.

There is a downside to many of these statistics that blacks need to take notice of--our dropout rates of young Blacks is much too high. Students ages 16-24, the dropout rate is 13%. That is above the national average. Female students have a much lower dropout rate however.    

Although there is a national push to have all schools wired for the Internet by 2000, of course, schools with large minority and poor student bodies are lagging behind in being wired. These schools are usually in black and brown areas. In the light of the Dept. of Commerce's Report that blacks and browns are lagging behind in their Internet use, it is easy to see a planned strategy to keep them behind when on all levels they are either neglected or intentionally not provided for. However, as has always been the case, black money in the form of taxes is being used to wire and equip other schools where they are not--a form of institutional thievery

During the good old days that America is so fond of referring to, blacks were paying for the buses on which they had no jobs and on which they were obliged to sit on the back seat. They were paying for the schools they could not attend. They were paying for the facilities that whites were using but not paying all of the costs. Martin Luther King, Jr., recognized this injustice and stated that systems of aggression have been set up against blacks in this nation. Those systems are not now removed. Our money is still being used to advantage white America and disadvantage blacks. The white Affirmative Action continues as it has for years. Where are the Ward Connelly to protest that reality as vigorously as he protests an attempt to right this systemic injustice--the ethnic minority Affirmative Action programs?

Other nations are matching the US in Secondary education. Only in higher education are we still in the lead, but that is not by much. Approximately 25% of our population, ages 25-34 years old, have completed secondary and college education--Japan has 22.9% and Canada 19.5%. The effect of this global village means that each one of us is competing with the rest of the world, not just Americans. This, seemingly, should give the nation pause in its continued discriminatory treatment of the poor and numerically minority citizens.

Robert Reich, in his Work of Nations, indicated that competition is such that we will see labor divided into two spheres--person-to-person and creative service. Those with specialized skills will be able to proffer those skills anywhere in the world, and those with only person-to-person skills that are minimally skilled services will always be limited. Whereas this theory is valid to some extent, it has flaws as well, but it is used here to emphasize that education is important on a global scale.

Furthermore, if blacks are to thrive, we had better pass down to our young people the wisdom we seemingly learn as we pass from our young adult lives to a more seasoned approach to life. That is that school is important and we successfully engage the process. Dr. Valeau contends, as do other thinkers as well, that an education may be the most accurate predictor of one's future earnings and of the future viability of blacks as a vibrant people. []   

See other statistics on education. These statistics come from the National Center for Educational Statistics.  []

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Dr. Edward J. Valeau, 
President of Hartnell College

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