By the time they reach middle school, more than half of the African American males in Oakland show signs that they'll miss high school graduation day, with suspensions and chronic absenteeism topping the list of common characteristics among them

The Urban Strategies Council report identified several risk factors facing black males and urged Oakland education officials to monitor those students closely and intervene to keep them in class and on track to graduate. Researchers found that 1 out of 5 African American boys in Oakland, more than 1,200 students, were suspended from school at least once last year and an equal number were chronically absent. The study identified the early-warning signs of a high school dropout, including an absentee rate of at least 10 days in a school year, at least one suspension, below-grade literacy and being held back a grade. More than half of the district's black males, 55%, had one or more of those red flags, according to the researchers at Urban Strategies Council, an Oakland-based nonprofit that focuses on improving conditions in low-income communities. While black males made up 17% of district enrollment, they comprised 42% of suspensions, a suspension rate six times higher than that of white males.