High-achieving black males who attend private high schools are dramatically more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree than similar students attending public schools, according to a study published in The Urban Review.

The study is among the scholarly resources included in the “Black Male Education Research Collection,” a new Web site launched by University of Texas College of Education Professors Louis Harrison and Anthony Brown to “help researchers, journalists, and policymakers locate available research on the education of black males.”

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88/00), Dr. Valija C. Rose, the report’s author, looked at how high school types, settings, and programs affect the chances of certain students attaining a college degree.

Her findings were published in 2013 under the title “School Context, Precollege Educational Opportunities, and College Degree Attainment Among High-Achieving Black Males.”

While controlling for socioeconomic status or SES (a variable combining parent education and occupation along with family income), Dr. Rose looked at the impact on getting a college degree of (a) school location (urban, suburban, rural), (b) school sector (public or private), and (c) educational opportunities (participation in gifted and talented programs or AP courses).

This could be the study’s most startling finding: “Of all the factors explored in the study, attending a private school was found to have the most influence on bachelor’s degree attainment among high-achieving black males.”

Read more about the study in the September 2016 issue of CAPE Outlook.