Black Parents Are Unjustifiably Optimistic About the Higher Educational Prospects for Their Children

A new report from the National School Boards Association finds 80.9 percent of black parents whose children attend public schools in urban areas believe that their child will continue his or her education at a community college or four-year undergraduate college or university. 

Reality Check: Today less than one third of all African Americans in the 18 to 24 age group are enrolled in higher education. Only about 55 percent of black youths who graduate from high school go on to enter college.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.