Graduation rates improved for all racial, ethnic, and economic groups, but racial and ethnic gaps increased while gender, poverty, and disability gaps declined¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2016 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2021: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Graduation rates rose for students of all backgrounds, gaps by gender, neighborhood poverty, and learning disability status declined, but African American students fell further behind white and Latino students until the most recent years. → Allensworth 2016

Evidence¶

Allensworth 2016¶

Allensworth, E.M., Healey, K., Gwynne, J.A., & Crespin, R. (2016). High school graduation rates through two decades of district change: The influence of policies, data records, and demographic shifts. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://www.cps.edu/SchoolData/Pages/SchoolData.aspx

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Subgroup trend analysis by race/ethnicity, gender, neighborhood poverty, and disability status. The report finds universal improvement but that "racial and ethnic gaps increased over time, with graduation rates for African American students falling further behind the rates for white and Latino students, until the most recent years."

"Graduation rates are higher than they were in the past for students of many different backgrounds, including race and ethnicity, neighborhood poverty, gender, and disability status."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause
• Race and Ethnicity — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

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• The CPS test score gap between African-American students and other ethnic groups widened over the decade because Asian, white, and Latino scores improved at faster rates — related
• African-American students and mostly African-American South Side communities showed less improvement in graduation and dropout rates than other students and North Side communities — related
• Graduation rates by age 19 in Chicago varied substantially by race/ethnicity and gender, with African-American boys lowest (39 percent) and Asian girls highest (85 percent) — related
• The proportion of U.S. students in deep poverty has grown from 14.3 percent to 21.1 percent, totaling over 10 million students — related
• Six-year graduation rates for students with behavioral and learning disabilities increased substantially between 2009 and 2019, while rates for cognitive disabilities slightly declined — related
• In 2019, high school graduation rates were similar across Chicago community areas (mostly 70–90%) while rates for the same students varied much more by high school (49–99%) — related
• Senior-year advanced coursework is unevenly distributed by race/ethnicity among CPS graduates — related
• North Carolina achievement has declined since 2013 and the Black-White NAEP gap widened between 2015 and 2017 in both eighth grade mathematics and reading — related
• Comprehensive community school interventions show positive impacts on student outcomes including attendance, achievement, graduation, and reduced achievement gaps — related
• Gateway students graduate at high rates, including 100% of African American, Latina/o, and students with disabilities — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• At four-year public institutions that improved overall graduation rates, black students' rates rose 4.4 percentage points over a decade versus 5.6 points for white students, widening the gap — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Twenty-seven institutions improved overall graduation rates while black graduation rates declined and black-white gaps widened by at least 8 percentage points — related
• African-American graduation rates across study institutions were largely stagnant from 2004 to 2010 while overall graduation rates rose 2.8 percentage points — related
• Graduation-rate gaps between white and black students generally grew across gap-analysis institutions, reaching nearly 19 points by 2010 — related
• A small set of public institutions achieved twin goals — 26 raised URM graduation rates by 12 or more points and narrowed gaps, while 17 saw URM rates decline and gaps widen by at least 7 points — related
• Only the White–Black gap at grade 4 narrowed; gains for minority students did not consistently close racial/ethnic or gender achievement gaps — related
• About 27 percent of 2018 graduates statewide met all CCR graduation requirements, with gaps by socioeconomic status, English learner status, race/ethnicity, and prior achievement — related
• Most reviewed studies used samples composed of at least 40 percent economically disadvantaged students — related
• Georgia State's GPS Advising paired prediction with advising capacity and retention grants, and its strongest reported outcome was narrowed equity gaps rather than prediction accuracy — related