From Kate: You might think that low-income students are the least likely to graduate, but that’s not true of Minnesota. American Indians only have a third of a chance of throwing their cap on graduation day as their Caucasian peers.

A study funded by the Minneapolis Foundation, “One Minneapolis: A Vision for Our City’s Success,” exposes massive gaps between race/ethnic identities and income levels.

The study found that simply being Caucasian gives youth a 71 percent chance of graduating, while Hispanic and American Indian students have less than a 25 percent chance. The data, compiled from the 2010 Census and the 2009 American Community Survey, gives us an idea of the schisms between race/ethnicity in the public school system.

“There should be a call of outrage and, more importantly, a call to action,” stated Minneapolis Foundation President Sandra Vargas.

The statistics are shocking examples of income disparity:

Almost one out of four Minneapolis residents lives in poverty.

Half of the children living in poverty are black, with a parent either from the US or abroad.

Only 52 percent of white students in the area attend Minneapolis Public Schools, but over three quarters of the black youth in the area are enrolled.

This trend of inequity is continued, as you would expect, in the workforce. In order to put a stop to this continuing disparity, we can’t stop at finding and sharing data. Regardless, this is a hugely important step in the right direction.

 

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