Black Students Optimistic About Future, Study Finds

The vast majority of African American high school students believe that if they work hard, they will have more opportunities, according to a report released Tuesday by a nonprofit educational group.

A majority of students surveyed voiced optimism in the old-fashioned ideal that a diligent work ethic reaps success. But the figure was significantly higher among black students. Eighty-two percent said that they believe hard work will yield more opportunities after high school, an increase of 20 percentage points from the previous year’s survey, the study by the Horatio Alger Assn. found.

That figure stands in sharp contrast to findings for other ethnic groups--only 71% of white students and 68% of other minorities who responded said that hard work will lead to more opportunity.

But the optimism among African American students was tempered by concerns that the playing field remains unequal for them. Only 40% of African Americans said that all races and social classes have the same opportunities, compared with 60% of white students, the study found.

Some African American studies scholars said that the students’ idealism is a gift that is not necessarily shared by their elders. Mary Pattillo-McCoy, a sociology professor at Northwestern University, said that the racism many African American youths may encounter is more subtle and covert than in the past.

“The new racism is as pernicious as the old because of its invisibility,” Pattillo-McCoy said. “And, because students don’t necessarily face those hidden problems, they are more optimistic. It takes the experience of knocking up against those ceilings and walls to understand that.”

The annual survey of attitudes among American youth toward their schools, families and future also found that 40% of all students view crime and violence as the greatest problems facing the country, an increase of 10% from the year before. The report surveyed more than 1,200 high school students across the nation, from a wide range of ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Pattillo-McCoy said the students’ optimism was surprising, given the backlash against affirmative action programs.

But other experts said the findings are an affirmation of the economic and social improvements achieved by African Americans over the last quarter century, particularly among the middle class. Income levels, while still below those of whites, have been increasing since the 1970s, unemployment is decreasing and home ownership rates are at an all-time high of almost 47%, according to federal statistics.

“In terms of prospects and professional outlook, things are better and more promising for a significant portion of younger African Americans than they’ve ever been before,” said David Bositis, a research analyst with the Washington-based Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which tracks African American attitudes. “So you would expect things on the whole to be on the positive side.”

Most of the scholars said that drawing sweeping or concrete conclusions from the study is impossible, given the small sample size of African American respondents--fewer than 200. Jennifer Park, an analyst for Horatio Alger, said that the margin of error for the responses from African American students was between 5 and 6 percentage points.

Analysts acknowledged that the April shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., which took 15 lives, “definitely impacted” the rise in student concerns about violence. Researchers mailed out questionnaires two days after the shootings, just as the nation focused on the massacre. Surveys continued to be collected until May 25.

The survey found that the number of students who said they feel safe at school had dropped from 44% to 37%.

Vicki Baker, an associate superintendent in the Kansas City, Mo., school system, who helped analyze the study, said that many school administrators are aggressively working with local law enforcement to improve school safety by beefing up security and making structural changes in school buildings.