Report: Indiana black youth making mixed progress

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A new report says black youth in Indiana have made strides over the past few years in education, crime and other areas, but their problems persist when compared with the population as a whole.

The report by Indiana Black Expo found black third-graders made gains on state standardized tests, but still lag their white peers. Juvenile delinquency has declined, but black youths are still more likely to end up in court than others facing the same offense. Teenage births have declined overall, but more children are being born to unmarried parents and raised by single mothers.

Most of those trends outpace national figures. The largest difference is the percentage of black children who are victims of abuse or neglect. In Indiana, that's 45 percent higher than the national rate.