The Impact Of Race On Retention (Pat)

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The Impact of Race on Retention (Pat)
Race can be a factor in obtaining a college degree. Some minorities, especially Hispanics and African Americans, are at greater risk of not obtaining a college degree (O’Keefe, 2013). The Department of Curriculum and Instruction created the Recruitment and Retention of Minority Students Committee (RRMSC) in the spring of 2000 to evaluate methods for the recruitment and retention of minority students. Minorities identified were African American, Afro-Caribbean, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino and Native American (Hobson-Horton & Owens, 2004).
In 2001 statistics reported by the United States Department of Education indicated that during 1997-1998 African American students received 8.3% of bachelor’s degrees awarded. Concurrently, Hispanic students as well as Asian or Pacific Islander students received 6.0%, while American Indian/Alaskan Native students only accounted for .7%. Although statistics from agencies who report differ, clearly on a national level, minority students …show more content…

A qualitative study of minority students in their last year and teacher-education majors (Hobson-Horton & Owens, 2004) indicated the need for providing support to students. This support was in the form of advising, providing monetary support,or exchanging educational materials necessary for instruction. In a longitudinal, qualitative study conducted by Chang, et. al (2014), factors influencing the persistence of underrepresented racial minority (URM) students in STEM majors were evaluated. Results supported the need for early activities that facilitated competence. Those activities had greater and more sustained effects when they were reinforced with interventions in higher education that guaranteed student achievement. Likewise increased guidance for successful achievement on assessments in relation to content and exam preparation were expected to decrease the racial gap in science achievement ( Chang, et

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