Disparity data related to the academic underachievement, poverty, female head of household, health outcomes, economic conditions and involvement in the criminal justice system for African American and Latino males has been well documented. CTA members witness the devastating effects of what African American and Latino male students come to school with every day:

• Young men of color are more likely to grow up in neighborhoods where they confront challenges to their safety and well-being. In their neighborhoods, they are 5 times more likely to be murdered than girls and young women and 7 times more likely to die from gun violence.
• Young men of color are also more likely to go to schools where they don’t have the tools and help they need to learn, including experienced and qualified teachers. For instance, during the 2008-2009 school year, the California middle schools that served more than 90% Latino, African American and American Indian students were almost 10 times more likely than majority white and Asian schools to experience severe shortages of qualified teachers.
• The proliferation of severe school disciplinary measures disproportionately pushes boys and young men of color out of our public education system. Even though African American students represented eight percent of the state’s public school enrollment, they represented 19% of out-of-school suspensions in the 2002-2003 school year.

As a result of these barriers, young men of color are more likely to start their adult life without a high school diploma. Those young men of color who do graduate from high school are less likely to be prepared for college. Only 14% of Latino high school graduates and 15% of African American high school graduates have completed the courses that are required to seek admission to California’s 4-year colleges and universities.