Sociologists and policymakers have long sought to assess the extent to which family background, school quality, and neighborhood environment contribute to educational disparities. Showing a reversal in disparities, a study conducted by the University of Michigan in conjunction with Cornell University shows that given the same levels of family, school, and neighborhood hardship, Black students would be more likely than their white classmates to complete high school and attend college. Katherine Michelmore, associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, discusses the study’s findings and provides in-depth context to the meaning of the results.
