Justin Murphy and Georgie Silvarole:
Federal data shows black students in particular face serious obstacles to advancing education
Black and Latino students spoken to for this report say they thrive on opportunities, but still run into instances of racism
In 10 districts with significant black populations, those students were more than a year behind
Suburban school districts are growing increasingly diverse, with 40 percent of the county’s minority students attending
Will Barrett, an 11th-grader at Fairport High School, has avoided the pitfalls of many other suburban students of color. He takes several Advanced Placement classes and doesn’t have any disciplinary problems.
Even so, he said he is constantly confronted by the sort of overt racism that many white people believe disappeared generations ago.
He recalled one instance where another student said that black people come from the jungle. Black people commit the vast majority of crimes, the white student continued, so the country would be better off without them.