Graduation Rates May Be Rising, But Graduation Gap Rates Are Too

As graduation rates for high school and college students rise, many people are also seeing a decrease in dropout rates. However, many are have failed to look at a much bigger problem: the graduation gap among various races and ethnicities are increasing.

Graduation Gap vs. Graduation Rates

Apparently, public colleges with high graduation rates are guilty of the epidemic as well. According to Huffington Post, "[...] The gap between blacks and whites is growing wider, not narrower, in more than half of cases," as seen in the report, "Rising Tide II: Do Black Students Benefit as Grad Rates Increase?"

The study, which was sponsored by non-profit group The Education Trust, uncovered that on general basis, graduation rates increased for the minority throughout 2003 to 2013. However, the graduation rate of black students and other minorities declined or maintained over the same period.

A photo posted by Linda Mawala (@ellemawala) on Apr 2, 2016 at 1:35am PDT

"What we see in our report lends credibility to what the student activists have been saying," noted the director of higher education research and data analytics of The Education Trust, Andrew Nichols. The study authors claim that the widening gap was attributed to various initiatives taken by the institutions to lessen the discrepancies.

YMCA Aims To Close The Graduation Gap

Fortunately, there are some groups who have launched projects to help close the gap. According to NewsOne, the New York charter of the YMCA is just one of the few organizations that are taking initiatives to lower the graduation gap rates.

Our soccer social is happening this Friday at Ohlone park from 4-5:30pm. All skill levels are welcome! #berkeley #berkeleyhigh #soccer #futbol #healthyliving #theY #ymcateencenter A photo posted by Y-Scholars Program (@yscholars) on Mar 15, 2016 at 8:34pm PDT

With only a 65 percent graduation rate for African-American and Latino students, the YMCA started the Y-Scholars (Rowe Scholars for high school students) program in 2009. The initiative is "a comprehensive program that targets students from low-income families" that guides them into the right path for college education, as per NewsOne.

Based on the reports, the free Y-Scholars program - currently helping over 700 high school and 1,100 middle school students - have been showing significant changes. In 2014, 95 percent of students enlisted in the program graduated and were able to attend college.