Obama Effect on Black Student Achievement? Not So Fast

While I am as excited as the next person about the role President Obama will play in the lives of young black children, I am a realist. This will take time to realize, and even longer to accurately measure. So imagine my surprise reading an article suggesting that research supports a “bounce.”

In a study conducted during the 2008 election, Dr. Ray Friedman of Vanderbilt University found that black students achieved higher scores on standardized tests when they were reminded of Obama’s achievements before the test. Their higher scores narrowed the gap between black and higher-scoring white students, suggesting a tangible effect of Obama’s presidency.

Friedman said the students who earned higher scores likely overcame “stereotype threat” — a fear that one’s performance will confirm an existing negative stereotype of a group with which one identifies, resulting in psychological discomfort.

Friedman has claimed that blacks are far more likely to score below their potential when asked to identify their race on a test — or when they are told an exam will measure innate abilities, like intelligence.

Premature?

The article also included a cautionary tone by other researchers suggesting we “pump the brakes” on any Obama-related academic achievement pronouncements.

But Friedman’s findings have been challenged by another study that found no evidence of an “Obama Effect” on black students’ standardized test scores.

Dr. Joshua Aronson of New York University, who conducted a study in June 2008 after Hillary Clinton conceded and Obama secured the nomination, found “absolutely no results” to support Friedman’s findings.

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Some education experts say it’s too early to know whether Obama’s inspiration has had a tangible effect in classrooms across the country. And some claim that even if such an effect exists, it is impossible to measure.

Tom Ewing, director of press relations at Educational Testing Service, said that while there is anecdotal evidence to suggest improvement in school performance among black students, “it’s too recent of a phenomena” to know if Obama deserves extra credit.

The jury is still out.

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