The educational level of the adult population, as revealed by the census data on the-highest grade completed, reflects the attitudes and policies of the nation toward the education of its citizens. In a democracy it is essential that the citizenship potential of each individual shall be developed and the maximum contribution of each realized. It is obligatory, then, that each American citizen regardless of race, place of' residence, or economic status shall be provided an equal opportunity for education. If there are indications that the level of educational attainment of a segment of the population differs significantly and consistently from that of another group, the nation is not properly discharging its responsibilities; individuals in one group are being restricted in their personal development; and the contributions of these individuals to group life are being lost. Fortunately the Census of 1940 provided for the first time the basic data for explorations in the area of the relative educational attainment of groups in the American population. The* significance of such data is obviOuS. *In view of the value of the data pertaining to the highest grade completed, this chapter will be devoted to a study of the statistics derived from the Seventeenth' Decennial Census of 1950 with specific consideration of five problems relating to the relative educational achievement of the Negro population in the United States. 1. How does the educational achievement of the Negro population of 1950 compare with that of other population groups in the United States? 2. What is the relative educational attainment of the Negro population in those seventeen Southern states and the District of Columbia in which separate systems of public education are maintained for Negroes by law ? 3. To what extent are there variances in the relative educational attainment of the Negro population according to urban, rural non-farm, and rural farm residence? 4. Is there a definite trend in the level of the educational achievement of the Negro population according to the Census data? 5. What are some implications of these findings ? The data used here were taken from the 1950 United States Census of population, P-B Series.1 The bases for the classification of the statistics, the questions asked, the definition of terms used and the comparability of data will be found therein.
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