For 2004-'05, white Wisconsin students had a graduation rate of 92.6%, well ahead of the 62.9% rate for black students

Tannette Johnson-Elie:

A U.S. Department of Education study shows that a college degree eliminates much of the racial income gap.

According to the report, African-Americans who earned their bachelor's degree in the 1992-'93 academic year, who had a full-time job in 2003, had a median income that was 88% that of their white peers. In 2003, this group of African-Americans had a median income of $46,400, compared with $52,800 for full-time white workers who earned their bachelor's degrees during the same period.

What's more, black students who earn a four-year college degree have incomes that are substantially higher than blacks who have only some college experience but have not completed college, the Department of Education reports.

While this isn't news, the message is clear: One of the best ways to rise out of poverty is to get an education.

State learning gap persists: Chasm between black, white students is near worst in U.S.

Graduation Rates

Playing the Race Card