A Decade of Disparities Examining National Educational Outcomes for Male Racial Subgroups

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges to the American educational system. Unfortunately, marginalized communities, especially male students of color, have been adversely affected by this pandemic. This report provides current national level educational data, disaggregated by race and gender, that provides critical insights about the plight of male students of color over a decade from 2010 to 2020. This research digest highlights the disparities in educational outcomes over a decade for male students of color. We identified several key findings to illustrate how male students of color overcome barriers throughout their educational pathways. This research digest highlights the power of disaggregated educational data because it provides a nuanced look at educational attainment rates for male racial subgroups. We also assert that exploring this issue should not be explained using a deficit-based narrative that suggests these disparities of educational outcomes are solely based on individualbased characteristics (e.g. lack of motivation). This research digest concludes with our recommendations for ten action steps over the next decade that compels school districts, community colleges, bachelor’s degree granting institutions, communities, and educational policy leaders to address this national challenge during the pandemic and beyond.