Sunday, December 13, 2015

Race to Equity: A Report on the State of Black Massachusetts



  MASSBudget     




Race to Equity:

A Report on the State of Black Massachusetts  
The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts today published Race to Equity: A Report on the State of Black Massachusetts, prepared in partnership with MassBudget. This report examines progress and obstacles on the path to creating a Commonwealth where all of our people, of every race and background, have the opportunity to reach their full potential and thrive.


We find some significant progress: many more Black students are completing high school, with the dropout rate declining 45 percent over the past seven years, and Black people are more likely to have health care coverage in Massachusetts than in almost any other state.


But the progress has been very uneven. There has been little to no income growth for low and middle income Black workers. This is connected to a broader problem of incomes barely growing for low and middle income workers of all races. But the stagnation has been most acute for Black workers. Gaps in wealth are even larger. And the neighborhoods in which many black families live lack the open spaces, markets with healthy food, and good housing that help people to stay healthy. Black and Latino students are disproportionately in our lowest income school districts. Those districts don't have the resources of our highest income districts and we see significant gaps in outcomes. Yet our low-income districts are better funded and more effective than similar districts in other states: low-income Black eighth graders here do better than their counterparts in other states -- ranking first in math and second in English on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

In short, while deep challenges remain, we have a foundation for progress that we can build upon. To read the full report, please click HERE.


The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

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You can also find the report directly here
http://massbudget.org/reports/pdf/SOMB.pdf

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