This study updates previous Education Trust briefs that looked at public, four-year colleges that successfully improved minority graduation rates and narrowed graduation-rate gaps. This new report examines which four-year, nonprofit colleges--public and private--have made the most improvements for African-American students. Because for-profit institutions are a distinct subset of colleges, the authors have explored trends in their outcomes in a separate report. In a companion brief, they profile colleges that have made the most progress for another important group of underrepresented students: Hispanics. By highlighting this diverse set of institutions, the authors find that: (1) Institutions can benchmark their progress toward producing more degrees in two ways: Some colleges can focus on making gains in graduation rates for their African-American students, while others can focus on closing gaps between black students and white students; (2) The starting point doesn't matter: Progress is possible for all types of institutions. Some can start by making substantial gains in graduation rates, while others can sustain previous progress made; still others can narrow gaps between African-American students and their white peers even if they've had large gaps in the past; and (3) An intentional and well-coordinated institutional effort to transform the quality and execution of the undergraduate experience will benefit all students, especially African-American students. (Contains 5 figures, 6 tables and 15 notes.) [For related report, "Advancing to Completion: Increasing Degree Attainment by Improving Graduation Rates and Closing Gaps for Hispanic Students," see ED535510.]