When exposed to Obama’s political success, test scores for Blacks improved in one study but not in another.
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Preliminary results of a study suggesting that Barack Obama’s political success translated into a narrower gap between Blacks and Whites on standardized tests in 2008 attracted both optimism and skepticism when it was reported around the time of his inauguration.
The study offered hope that an affirming role model and positive feelings could patch the gap between Whites and Blacks long documented in almost every measure of academic performance. Media reports have suggested that parents and educators see ample anecdotal evidence that Obama’s example has inspired Black students to take schoolwork more seriously.
When one team of researchers tested Blacks and Whites at four intervals at the peak of the 2008 election year, median scores for the two groups shifted, significantly narrowing the spread after Obama’s election, according to the results announced earlier by the researchers, Dr. Ray A. Friedman of Vanderbilt University, Dr. David Marx of San Diego State University and Dr. Sei Jin Ko of Northwestern University.
