. >>> for 25 years carl alexander tracked the progress, black and white, until they reached adulthoods finding race still matters,. >>> doing well in baltimore's economy, without the benefit of a college a college degree, is conditioned by race and its very much about the difference between white men of working class background, and everybody else. >>> butler and his friends say once the police pick you up, it becomes harder to get hired for work. >>> if you go to the program and still won't be able to get a job, because they dwell off of your past history ten years ago, two years ago. and they back that -- they held that stuff against us. >>> economic mobility has been fundamental but in the heart of too many of its cities it's a dream that's still deferred. >>> in ferguson, missouri, the economy is starting to recover after the violent protests the price of property has gone up, the average home sold for 46,000 that's up from just under 39,000. the home improvement sector of the housing market is looking up and, home depot reported a 7.1% sales growth in the u.s. last quarter, they

. >> professor carl alexander and a team from johns hopkins university tracked almost 800 baltimore children surveying them through their school years and following them into adulthood into age 28. more than half were considered urban disadvantaged, living at or near the poverty line. and they kept following with you year after year? >> every year. i thought it was really cool. i never had anybody send me letters in the mail. they would call me and send me cards at my birthday. that was pretty cool. >> i didn't mind it, somebody concerned about how i was doing, concerned with what i wanted to do in life, goals and aspirations. >> what did you say your goals and aspirations were when you were -- >> i was strong headed on law enforcement. >> despite the goals expressed 50 children the research concluded that only 4% of urban disadvantaged students went to college and completed a four year degree. the strass majorities vast majority of students returned to their being neighborhoods. >> they had lower lower level of education around lower earnings as adults. >> there was a big difference between

. >> professor carl alexander and a team from johns hopkins university tracked almost 800 children trackinghem in school years and tracking them through adulthood to age 28. more than half were considered urban disadvantaged living at or near the poverty line. >> what were your goals and aspirations when you were young? >> when i was younger, law enforcement. >> despite the goals of children concluded that only 4 =p-rs of urban disadvantaged students went to college and earned a four year degree. the vast majority returned to their poverty stricken neighborhoods after school. >> kids who grow up in low income distressed neighborhoods on average had lower jobs and lower earnings as adults. >> another stunning discovery there's a big difference between races. >> well, before, we said good for you. that's a theme and it's descriptive. and it's not an evaluative statement for us. it is what we see. >> among working class males 45% of whites found trade jobs like plumbing or construction, compared to just 15% of blacks, and the white males made twice as much money. >> this is the most lucrative

. >> reporter: for 25 years sociologist carl alexander tracked the progress of hundreds of children blackached adulthood, his finding race still matters. >> doing well in baltimore's economy without the benefit of a college degree is very much conditioned by race and it's very much about the difference between white men of working class background and everybody else. >> we struggled all our life. >> reporter: once the police pick you up it becomes harder to be hired for work with much of a future. >> if you go through a program and everything you still won't be able to get a job because they dwell off your past history ten years ago or five or three years ago, whatever, and they held that stuff against us. >> reporter: faith in economic mobility has always been fundamental to the american dream but in the heart of too many of its cities it's a dream that is still deferred. tom ackerman, al jazeera, baltimore. >>> u.n. says there has been unprecedented progress in access to basic education in the past 15 years. the education agency is meeting south korea to check up on six key goals at 15