JACKSON, Miss.—Citing signs of progress and causes for concern from a new department report about the education of blacks, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today lauded the work of black colleges and universities but cautioned that there is still much more work to be done to help close the achievement gap and improve education for all children.

"Education is emancipation; education is freedom," Paige said as he addressed the Mississippi Association of College and Universities. "Our schools craft citizens, civility, and society. They are the forums for learning about justice, liberty, tolerance, and compassion. Our schools reflect the future. Yet, despite the work of so many good people, we have a crisis that we can no longer afford to ignore. Millions of students are attending school but are not learning. Each student poorly educated is a tragedy."

"Status and Trends in the Education of Blacks," released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), housed in the Department's Institute of Education Sciences, looks at two decades of research. The report draws on a wide variety of statistics published by NCES and other federal agencies in numerous reports and synthesizes these findings in one compact volume.

According to the report, performance gaps between blacks and whites ages 13-17 have actually widened between 1988 and 1999. Down the line, these measures lead to lower pay, higher unemployment levels for equal levels of education, higher dropout rates and lower test scores. Gaps in reading achievement showed no evidence of narrowing during the 1990s.

More blacks have completed high school and have gone on to college than in the past, the report also found. "But despite some gains," Paige said, "black children and adults don't advance to the next level at the same rate as our white peers.

"President Bush recognized the importance of education and of making sure every child counts. On his fourth day in office, he proposed the No Child Left Behind Act—'An act to close the achievement gap,' as it says right on it title page. With bipartisan support, it became the law of the land. It is a tough law, but it's a good law. It focuses attention on the children who most need our help; but it benefits all children. I know it can be done. It will be done. We must not be satisfied until every child receives a quality education."

The report also sheds light on higher education for blacks. In the year 2000, about one-third of 18-24 year old blacks went to college. This is an improvement from 19 percent 20 years ago. But blacks still represent only about 11 percent of college students, well below expectations based on a percentage of the nation's population. Blacks are still under-represented in the natural sciences. Only five percent of university faculty are black, and they are more likely to be assistant professors and instructors than professors or associate professors.

"The situation would be much worse without our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which continue to be extremely valuable, as can be evidenced by the fact that one-fourth of blacks in college are in HBCUs, and these institutions have produced some of our finest graduates and keenest minds," Paige added.

Report findings that show signs of progress:

• Long-term trends in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show increased performance in reading for black students between 1971 and 1999. Trends in black performance in NAEP mathematics and sciences also show improvements over the long term.

• In 1999, black students were more likely than white students to report discussing the national news and watching or listening to the national news with others.

• Historically black colleges play a very important role in black education. Nearly one-quarter of all bachelors' degrees earned by blacks in 1999-2000 were earned at historically black colleges and universities.

Other key findings from the report include:

• The proportion of blacks completing college increased between 1975 and 2000, however blacks still remained less likely than whites to earn degrees.

• Most black students attend public schools in which minorities represent the majority of the student body. Seventy-three percent of black fourth-grade students were enrolled in low-income schools (where more than on-half of the students were eligible to receive a free or reduced-price lunch)

• In 1999, retention (being held back) and suspension/expulsion rates were much higher among black students than among white and Hispanic students.

The full text of Status and Trends in the Education of Blacks is available online at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003034. A copy of the report can be reserved by calling toll free 1-877-4ED-Pubs (1877-433-7827) (TTY/TDD 1-877-576-7734); via email at edpubs@inet.ed.gov; or via the Internet at http://www.edpubs.ed.gov/webstore/Content/search.asp.

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