A report that indicates that Evanston students of color are actually doing quite well when it comes to college enrollment is a topic of discussion for tonight’s joint meeting of the District 65 and District 202 school boards.
Each year, the two districts, each of which includes all of Evanston and a portion of Skokie, collaborate on a research project dealing either with student achievement or evaluation of a specific program, or both.
This year, the Superintendents’ Joint Achievement Report, as it is called, attempted to identify the variables that predict high school success and college success on the part of students of color.
It noted, first of all, that Evanston students of color did better than their counterparts nationwide when it comes to graduating from high school.
The four-year graduation rate for ETHS students was 88 percent for black students and 92 percent for Hispanic students, compared with nationwide rates of 75 percent for blacks and 78 percent for Hispanics, according to the report.
A large percentage of those who graduated then went on to enroll in a post-secondary institution, such as a community college or a four-year college, with female students out-performing male students.
Some 86 percent of female black graduates went on with their education, compared with 73 percent of male graduates. The comparable numbers for Hispanic students were 82 percent for females and 68 percent for males.
As for the courses they took, 67 percent of black students and 81 percent of Hispanics who enrolled in a post-secondary institution took at least one Advanced Placement course, and at least 80 percent of both groups took Algebra 2 in high school and earned a C or higher.
The complete report may be found on the ETHS website.
Tonight’s meeting will be held in the District 65 Board Room at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center, 1500 McDaniel Ave., beginning at 7 p.m.