A Report on the Educational Status of Black Women during the un Decade of Women,1976-85

By most statistical indicators, the educational gains made by black women during the past decade are rapidly being eroded: high school completion rates and college enrollment figures are declining, and dropout rates are increasing. The increase in black women earning bachelors and graduate degrees is due almost entirely to their higher participation rates in college. A higher proportion of blacks than whites are below 24 years of age; declining enrollments at a time when the black population is expanding reflects a significant loss. Important areas for policy initiatives include increases in financial aid, a critical factor in college attendance by black women—particularly at the graduate and professional degree levels—improvement in quality of primary and secondary education and counseling, and continuing education programs for teenage mothers.