<p>Penny I agree with what you say, but although the article is informative about the unemployment data, it does a horrible job of placing this data in context it should have stated that “the disparities in unemployment data can not be attributed to any particular factor and that additional information is needed” and that this includes jumping to the conclusion that any racial factors are attributable for the differences in the data.</p>
<p>I don’t disagree with you. I also dislike a focus on problems but not solutions. It was pointed out to me earlier by other posters that my expectations are beyond the scope of the article. Maybe so. I don’t care for much of what passes as journalism these days either. </p>
<p>Penny The truth is that way too many unqualified high school students are going to college. Way too many to questionable colleges both for profit and not for profit. These student and families take out loans to pay for this education that can never be repaid because the job prospects after graduating from a questionable college is only a little better than the job prospects out of high school. </p>
<p>Based upon SAT/ACT scores and HSGPA the highest proportion of unqualified high school students are URM.</p>
<p>Look at any chart on admission to medical school or law school and you will see that it’s much easier for a black applicant than a white. A black candidate with low to middling MCAT, LSAT and GPA will be admitted to medical school or law school while a white or Asian applicant with those same scores will not be admitted. That’s a huge helping hand in getting into the professions. Large employers have virtual ‘quotas’ and need black employees for EEOC purposes. The law firms that large employers hire also have those types of quotas. In those situations blacks have an advantage. </p>
<p>Years ago when I was at a law firm there was a minority lawyer who failed the bar twice. To my knowledge everyone else passed on the first try that year. The firm gave him a third chance and he passed on the third try. I really think employers try to bend over backwards to hire minorities.</p>
<p>@voiceofreason66: That’s a discussion that would have its own thread ( or more ). As someone who has volunteered in schools, it is also a concern of educators and community leaders. It’s one that begs for answers.</p>
<p>As I said before, the effects of social changes are sometimes seen many years later, and always have positive and negative outcomes. If one really takes a long term look, many changes have resulted in better outcomes. Now we are also dealing with problems that resulted from some changes for the better. </p>
<p>In the US, we are committed to having equal opportunities. Other countries track students on to different educational paths, but that would not be acceptable here. The solution to why some students underperform is something that is of great concern to educators, but no good answer has been discovered yet. </p>
<p>Does anyone besides me think the answer is parents? Because it seems rather obvious from here.</p>
<p>I think the issue is more complicated than that. I’ve seen kids who have what seems like great parents and still have problems and then, the opposite. It seems to occur accross all racial and socioeconomic areas too. Parenting does make a big difference and most of the time good parenting results in good results, but there are exceptions. </p>
<p>Yes, the problem is parents. Parents who raise racist children are the reason why black college grads face a tough road.</p>
<p>“Mr. Ewers, who would like to work in marketing, applied to Google, Apple, BET, MTV and Amazon, among others.” </p>
<p>So, you are calling these hiring managers racists because this grad was not hired. That is quite the leap. But, okay.</p>
<p>Parental involvement in schools makes a difference and that is another challenge. If a school was a negative experience for parents, then they may be less enthusiastic about school and less likely to be involved. One could surmise that this is one way past grievances can have negative effects on subsequent generations even if the conditions where they occurred no longer exist. </p>
<p>I can only imagine how many applications Google, Apple, BET, MTV and Amazon get. </p>
<p>mamalion Whoa! That’s quite a strong statement. I agree that parenting is a contributing factor but cannot support a statement such as yours. How about the level of achievement contributing to the high unemployment or areas of study or work experience or any number of other factors that is not related to race. Even in the article, one grad from Morehead sent out over 70 applications and found a job within 6 months of graduating so persistence also seems to be a factor.</p>
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The truth is that way too many unqualified high school students are going to college.</p>
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<p>This is very true…and when they’re going on tax-payer supplied aid, and then flunk out after a year, it’s such a waste of money…and worse when loans are also involved that need to be paid back.</p>
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Morehead? As in the school in Kentucky or the prestigious Morehead-Cain scholarship at UNC? Or perhaps you mean Morehouse college, the HBCU in Atlanta. That would be more likely.</p>
<p>Pennylane,
The big companies get many thousands of applications. Google hires less than 1% of people who apply. As you know, anyone can fill out an application.</p>
<p>Thanks jym626. Brain fart. I did mean Morehouse and you are correct that the companies that Mr. Ewers applied to have more applicants than his college with far few positions to fill.</p>
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<p>Wouldn’t that apply to all state universities and community colleges, which use state funding to educate college students, not all of whom succeed? Whether the funding is in the form of need-based financial aid, merit scholarships, or subsidy to lower in-state tuition, this argument basically claims that any such funding is “wasted” on students who do not graduate (and many of these schools are not very selective or open admission, so they end up with a lot of students who do not graduate).</p>
<p>However, the mission of many such schools (and government financial aid programs) is to give large numbers of people (at least state residents) a chance to earn a college degree. The likely assumption is that not all will succeed, but the value gained by having some graduate and later making a greater contribution to economy, society, and tax collections (and less likely becoming a negative contribution in terms of costs of welfare, police, courts, and prisons) will more than make up for the amount “wasted” on those who eventually do not graduate.</p>
<p>Of course, to the extent that schools can improve the incoming-academic-preparation-adjusted graduation rates, that should certainly be looked at for improvement.</p>
<p>TatingG said: “Years ago when I was at a law firm there was a minority lawyer who failed the bar twice. To my knowledge everyone else passed on the first try that year. The firm gave him a third chance and he passed on the third try. I really think employers try to bend over backwards to hire minorities.”</p>
<p>I’m relatively familiar with the legal profession, having long business and personal relationships with private attorneys, District Attorneys, US prosecutors, etc. Including at least one very good ADA (eventually promoted to bureau chief) who didn’t pass the bar at first try. I have never known a private firm or government agency to hire a junior lawyer on the criteria of his bar exam attempts, provided that she/passed by the third try. If your point is that they gave the guy or gal a break, O.K. But that’s not an uncommon gesture, particularly for new hires fresh out of law school. Therefore, it’s not “bending over backwards” if it’s a commonplace practice. John F. Kennedy Jr. took the bar exam three times.</p>
<p>Many college students dip into radicalized politics. Youthful idealism at that time often has not encountered real work practicalities.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus You are correct that there are some students who are not ready for college at many schools, but the greatest proportion of such students are at the likes of Oakwood where Mr. Ewers from the article attended. Oakwood gives “scholarships” to students with 2.0 GPA. Given this low bar for merit awards, I am unsure what type of education these students receive or what the level of rigor is needed to graduate from Oakwood or even if they receive a College level education versus a remedial High School education with a label of being a college. </p>
<p><a href=“Oakwood University”>Oakwood University;
<p>Oakwood graduate from 35-43% of its students in 6 years depending upon cohort.</p>
<p>OK, the drifting focus of this thread is now clearer to me. The post began with the discussion of graduates of HBCUs, rather than an a discussion about African-American college graduates generally. Fine. Not sure I see a controversy when a candidate with a unimpressive GPA is an unsuccessful applicant, all other things being equal. But I gather that the author’s examination of the situation is that the threshold is not always equal for two similarly situated applicants.</p>