Black and Hispanic adults in Utah tend to be more educated than blacks and Hispanics nationally, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.
While the state as a whole has higher educational attainment rates than the national average for those 25 and older, the state's racial and ethnic groups have varying success, according to census results released last month.
Whites, blacks and Hispanics in Utah fare better than whites, blacks and Hispanics on a national level, while American Indians and Alaska Natives and native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders in Utah have lower graduation rates. Asians in Utah have about the same rate as Asians on a national average.
"I think in part it means we have some succeeding generations of those groups," said Richard Gomez, educational equity coordinator for the Utah State Office of Education. "It's the result of someone plowing the way ahead of them."
Gomez points out the data for residents 25 and older does not reflect current problems with high school dropouts in Utah.
"I would couch all that enthusiasm by saying that does not address the disproportionate dropout rates," he said. "We probably don't do much better than most school programs across the country."
For example, another national census report shows the percentage of Hispanics age 16 to 19 who dropped out of high school or never attended grew by more than 50 percent in the 1990s.
In the Beehive state, 87.7 percent of the 25-and-older population report having at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, and 26.1 percent have obtained at least a bachelor's degree, according to the 2000 Census. Nationally, 80.4 percent of those 25 and older have high school diplomas, with 24.4 percent having received at least a bachelor's degree.
Some 83 percent of Utah blacks have received at least a high school diploma, significantly above the national average for blacks, which is 72.3 percent.
"I would say wholeheartedly . . . the African-American community in Utah is very dedicated to education," said Bonnie Dew, director of the state Office of Black Affairs.
While Utah doesn't draw many blacks (blacks make up less than 1 percent of Utah's population), those who do move here tend to do so for career reasons.
"Unless there's a viable job, this is not an attractive place to move to," Dew said. "People come here for business and relocation. As an ethnic group we tend to show better on polls because of that."
While educated black adults migrate to Utah, that doesn't necessarily mean black students in Utah are staying in school. Dew says increasing the graduation rate among black students is a top priority for her office.
"Our kids find that often, they are the only African-American student," she said. "Sometimes they don't feel supported. . . . We see that as a concern."
Utah's Black Advisory Council and others encourage educated blacks to be mentors and take an active role in the community.
Though the state boasts a higher-than-average median household income, which takes into account the income of every working member of a household, blacks in Utah are also the only race or ethnicity with a higher median individual income than the national average for that group. But just barely.
The median earnings in 1999 for full-time, year-round workers 16 years and older for blacks was $27,585 in Utah, compared with $27,264 nationally, something that coincides with the high educational attainment rates, says Neil Ashdown, deputy director of the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.
Whites, American Indians, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics in Utah earn a little less than their counterparts nationwide. Asians here earn significantly less than the national average for Asians, with the median earning for Asians in Utah $26,869, compared with $36,051 nationally.
Though Hispanics, which may be of any race, have a lower educational attainment rate than other groups, those in Utah fare better, with 56.5 percent of those 25 and older having at least a high school diploma, compared to 52.4 percent nationally.
The low overall educational attainment is a result in part of many Utah Hispanics having come from here another country. Many Hispanic immigrants also spend a lot of time working, leaving less time for the classroom, Ashdown said.
Gomez says time alone is alleviating some of those challenges, as generations begin to settle and make strides in education, providing examples for their children. Gomez, whose parents came to this country from Mexico, was the first in his family to graduate from high school and go on to college, and his children have had that role model and success story to follow, he said.
Gomez says educational attainment rates for Pacific Islanders may be lower than the national average because many are recent immigrants from places such as Tonga or Samoa.
American Indians in Utah's rural school districts often travel by bus for hours each day to go to school, which influences educational attainment rates, Gomez says. Though Utah's American Indian and Alaska native adult population has a lower graduation rate than the national average, those in Utah are doing better than those in some neighboring states with similar challenges.
With 68.7 percent of American Indians having at least a high school diploma, Utah has a higher educational attainment rate for American Indians than Arizona, which has a 61.9 percent graduation rate, and New Mexico, with 67 percent.
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