When it comes to Black youth, narratives about educational outcome gaps are often deficit-focused and incomplete, reifying notions of immovable racial inequities rather than uplifting evidence of students excelling when afforded the opportunities they deserve. Families, educators, school and district leaders, and state policymakers all need access to data that tells a fuller and more nuanced story of students’ experiences across intersections of identity, like race and gender, to tailor school improvement efforts effectively. 

In our latest publication as part of our research in brief series, Black Girl Brilliance: Using Data to Catalyze Change for California’s Black Girls, the authors examine school-level data from more than 8,000 California public schools to understand where Black girls are accessing “promotive opportunities”—key resources and experiences that drive academic success. The brief provides specific next steps and overall recommendations on how to expand opportunity.