During the election season, President Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States, sparked a “Yes We Can” frenzy, reassuring African American students that they could make greater academic strides.
In fact, Obama’s determination to persevere throughout the campaign caused African Americans to perform better on standardized tests, virtually on par with their White counterparts who typically garner higher scores, researchers of a new study claim.
Documenting what the authors of the report call the “Obama Effect,” the study found the performance gap between Black and White Americans in a series of online tests was dramatically reduced during key moments of the 2008 presidential campaign, when Obama’s accomplishments garnered the most national attention.
The researchers administered four online tests to participants at four distinct points during the campaign trail. Two tests were dispensed at the pinnacles of Obama’s popularity, during the convention when he accepted the Democratic nomination and immediately following Election Day.
Two other tests were offered during the periods when Obama received less media attention and overall excitement lulled: before his acceptance of the nomination and the mid-point between the convention.
During the periods when Obama’s media presence was less visible, there was a significant disparity in the test scores of Black and White adults who had taken old GRE exams. During peak moments of Obama’s campaign, however, test scores between Black and White adults were virtually the same.
