The U.S. Chamber Foundation’s nationwide college readiness report is hot off the press and it doesn’t look good. Focused primarily on African American student achievement at the 4th and 8th grade levels, and comparisons between graduation rates and college readiness – the ‘Leaders & Laggards’ report – made waves nationwide last week. Unfortunately, no matter the race or geographic location, the overall picture for students nationwide is bleak.
For example, in our home state of Florida African American students are achieving a 65% graduation rate, but only 6% of students are scoring college-ready marks on the ACT. Possibly most surprising is how widespread the failures of our education efforts are. Out of 50 states, the “top performers” were boasting scores of just over 10% of African American students with college-level ACT scores.
The U.S. Chamber Foundation was joined by the NAACP in calling on government and private sector leaders to step up efforts to prepare students to join the workforce. The story was covered in various national media and news outlets across the country, such as: Chalkbeat Tennessee, NBC Atlanta, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Kentucky Courier Journal, Iowa – The Gazette, Mississippi – The Clarion Ledger, US News & World Report, and Education Week.