Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Editor's Picks
Editor's PicksListRace

7 Findings From the State of Black America Report That Prove the Black Community Still Has a Long Way to Go

Posted byBy Taylor Gordon | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Charter School Movement Grows As Obama Voices Plans To Expand System

Education Equality Is Actually Declining

Many people were finally convinced that the Black community wasn’t making swift or substantial progress, but the State of Black America report reveals that in some ways the community is being pushed several steps back. When it comes to education, there has been a decline in equality caused from insufficient funding for predominantly Black school districts and inexperienced teachers. The equality index for education in the Black community decreased from 76.7 percent last year to 76.1 percent.

black-elementary-student

Black Students Lagging Behind White Classmates in Reading and Math

This is the unfortunate result of inequality in education. When seasoned teachers are only available to children in wealthy districts with predominantly white residents while predominantly Black school districts are plagued with budget cuts and school closings, Black students are left struggling academically. The report revealed that in many major cities, Black students were already far behind their white peers in math and reading proficiency by the fourth grade. In many cases, the gap widened exponentially by the eighth grade.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top