In today’s Wall Street Journal, Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom write about historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It’s a most interesting article.
While only 10 percent of black students attend an historically black school, the Thernstroms report that “a remarkable 40% of all African-Americans with a bachelor’s degree in the physical sciences and 38% of those who majored in math or the biological sciences, attended HBCUs.” Their explanation is that black students who enroll at those schools “feel free to major in more difficult subjects, knowing that they will not be unprepared for the coursework.” Furthermore, very few of the students at HBCUs are drawn into academically brittle fields such as the various identity studies programs.
This strongly supports Thomas Sowell’s argument that getting students into a school where they are a good match academically is very important. It also undermines the “diversity” argument that vast educational benefits follow from making sure that every group in society is “represented” on campus. The black schools appear to be doing fine educational work despite a shortage of money and no hoopla about diversity.
