The Racial Gap in Homework for Students Preparing for College

The importance of a college education for young African Americans cannot be overemphasized. But in order to succeed in higher education, Black students must adequately prepare for college while in high school.

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that Black high school students spend an average of 6.3 hours each week on homework. White high school students spend an average of 6.8 hours each week on homework. Only 29.7 percent of Black high school students do homework five or more days per week. For Whites, 44.3 percent do homework five or more days per week.

An encouraging statistic in the Department of Education data is that 83.1 percent of the parents of African American students check to see that homework is completed. Only 57.2 percent of the parents of White students regularly check to see if homework is completed.

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