Minorities are a growing segment of the population. However, this group continues to be underrepresented in the area of post secondary education. Obtaining an advanced degree remains a likely predictor of future career success. The problem facing the minority student is that barriers persist which continue to hinder enrollment, retention, and graduation rates in institutions of higher education. These barriers must be identified and examined and solutions offered if college completion rates are to be increased for this population. While overall college enrollment and graduation rates have risen for all minority groups, there continues to be concerns for this segment of the population, particularly for African American students. Even though there have been significant increases in enrollment and graduation figures over the past several decades, issues concerning retention persist. About 30 percent of African Americans who enroll in college drop out prior to degree completion (Rye, 2009). This is further documented by Museus (2011) who reports that less than one-half of minority students who begin college at a 4-year institution achieve a degree within 6 years. This is significant since college retention has been linked with both self-efficacy and future academic success (Brittain, Sy, & Stokes, 2009). As previously stated, it appears there are persistant barriers present that hinder enrollment, retention, and rate of graduation for African Americans in higher education. It is imperative that educational concerns for African Americans are addressed at all levels, but it is particularly important at the post secondary stage. Higher levels of education are associated with both lower unemployment rates and a higher income. If... ... middle of paper ... ...on Education. Santos, S. J., Ortiz, A. M., Morales, A., & Rosales, M. (2007). The relationship between campus diversity, students' ethnic identity and college adjustment: A qualitative study. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(2), 104-114. doi:10.1037/1099-9809.13.2.104 Severiens, S., & Wolff, R. (2008). A comparison of ethnic minority and majority students: social and academic integration, and quality of learning. Studies in Higher Education, 33(3), 253-266. doi:10.1080/03075070802049194. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Spurgeon, S. L. (2009). Wellness and college type in African American male college students: An examination of differences. Journal of College Counseling, 12(1), 33-43. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. U.S. Department of Education. (2011). Digest of education statistics: 2010. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/
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
Education is exceptionally significant for a minority student. A minority student faces economic issues with his or her lower class status. There is very little money. A minority student comes from a home in which parents have a low level of education. There are not many books around while growing up. A desire to change their economic and cultural position makes education their first priority as a goal they have to reach. Life’s circumstances did not give their parents the chance to go to school. Minority students have seen first-hand how hard it is to live throughout their lives without education. These students believe that if they ed...
As a minority and a first-generation college student, Brewer struggled at the University of Texas at Austin. Tough argues, many good students that come from a minority community “…get to a good college and encounter what should be minor obstacle, and they freak out. They don’t want to ask for help, or they don’t know how” (Pg.Tough 2). The lLack of confidence to reach out to the resources available at particular campuses forces marginal students out of college or even causing a delay in their graduation.
Throughout the years the dropout rate of African Americans has increased and decreased. Many people look at black students as if they sit there and do not learn anything at all but we do try. Some may think that the only reason the black students drop out is because their grades, but that’s not true. Some dropout because of financial pressure, health problems, mental, emotional, and social issues, and may not have family support.
The number of low-income students enrolled as undergraduates in U.S. colleges and universities, has grown over the past 35 years (NCES, 2007a). For example, the number of low-income students entering college immediately following high school has increased by over 60 percent since 1970 (Mortenson, 2007). Although it may appear
For decades, low-income families have increasingly found themselves in a position where they have to choose between a college education and remaining at a steady job. However, with the growing demand for college-educated workers, a college education is highly recommended in order to attain a job that is capable of providing the individual and his family a respectable income. Even as more people from low socio-economic status are applying to college, the difference in graduation rates between the top and bottom income groups is predictable. Unfortunately, low-income students often lack the guidance and support they need to persist in their studies. As a result, large gaps remain in educational achievement between students from low-income families and their high-income peers. Fortunately, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) schools have made it possible for under-represented minorities and low-income families to continue their education. To help more students afford and graduate from college, Bowie State University, for example, has taken steps to address these chal...
“Because such neighborhoods display much higher concentrations of poverty and greater rates of disorder and violence, and because African-American college students are disproportionately connected to people living in such neighborhoods, they are at much greater risk of experiencing stress indirectly through their social networks” (Charles, Dinwiddie, & Massey (2004). Racial segregation undermines academic performance in several ways: by distracting students psychological being from their studies; by undermining their physical and emotional well-being; and by necessitating competing investments of time, money, and energy to attend to family issues. Minority students become ensnared in a web of relationships that undermine their academic performance on campus
As cliché as it sounds, it is true that many African American students come from very harsh and poverty stricken environments. They tend to go to under resourced schools as well that do not provide the proper knowledge for them to further their education. And even worse, these schools tend to be segregated since they are usually in the harsher parts of a neighborhood. Sadly, it’s the segregated schools are one of the main reasons why black students decide not to go on to pursue a higher education. According to "The Way Out of the Black Poverty Cycle", a black student that attends an integrated suburban school is six times more likely to graduate compared to a segregated under resourced school. An African Americans family structure and the opinions of family members affects if their decision to further their education as well. Many African American children grow up un...
Many universities practice genderblind admissions policies, which explains the gender gaps in these institutions (CCAP 4). In order to bring the populations of black students to an equilibrium, more men should be admitted in the future. Women have also shown an enthusiasm towards education, since many understand the benefits that come along with it. According to Amadu Jacky Kaba, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Seton University, black female students “…hold high educational aspirations, to enroll in college, and to persist to degree attainment” (9). These black young women are able to better themselves without being hindered to the extent of black male students. Many factors have changed in favor of women as a whole and such factors continue to widen the gap, making it even more difficult for men to catch up. The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan polling organization suggests, “…as labor market barriers to women have been lowered, the benefits of a college education grew more for women than men” (qtd. by Rocheleau). Even though there has been improvement among women pursuing academic careers, do such accomplishments deter Black men from doing the
One problem that exists with Affirmative Action is that it can actually be hard on minorities, whom the system was set up to assist. “Minorities don’t want to be there for the benefit of the majority population, nor do they want to be called upon as the representatives of their race every time the topic comes up in class discussion.” (Swenson) It is understood that colleges are striving for greater diversity amidst their
Instead, it is the fact that not enough are graduating. Completion is what society needs; giving up or feeling consumed by the academic workload is never the way to go. My people are strong people who always find a way through all odds, so why should attaining a college degree not be one of the many things that we accomplish? Improving our college graduation rates can be the biggest accomplishment done in the 21st century so far for our people. With more people going to college the graduation rate would rise showing that a college degree is attainable. More people need not only to go to college but also to graduate; however, more must be successful in the learning environment in order to do so. The world needs the contributions of successful African American in the business world. We must make reinventing our goals and aspirations in life an issue in the black community. Then the world we were given can be molded and formed to any person’s liking. Thus, the true problem is not that more people are going to college but that they are settling for
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. (2006).Black Student College Graduation Rates Remain Low, But Modest Progress Begins to Show. Retrieved from: http://www.jbhe.com/features/50_blackstudent_gradrates.html
The college landscape has changed a lot in the past decade. The stakes are higher as it pertains to cost, competition, potential benefits to the students themselves and society. This day in age to become successful and economically self-sufficient, a post-secondary degree is a must in a lot of cases. Research has backed up this statement and has consistently documented a positive relationship between education and economic stability (e.g., Day and Newburger 2002). In 2008 the U.S census bureau collected data that showed that bachelor’s degree recipients earn about $26,000 dollars more than high school graduates. The importance of postsecondary education and obtaining a degree are at the forefront of concerns right now and colleges are constantly trying to conquer the ever widening topic of student success and retention. Not many college students think about the ramifications of not having any supplemental experience to go with a degree and not utilizing opportunities of engagement that most colleges offer to help them inside and outside the classroom. We therefore need to ask what else we need to do to further improve the effectiveness of our research on behalf of increased student retention and success. Are there other questions we must ask and issues we need to further explore in the continuing problem of student attrition in post-secondary education?
While a myriad of retention interventions are being developed and tested for effectiveness in reducing college attrition rates, few explore the effect of wellness initiatives on student success and retention (Lotkowski, Robbins & Noeth, 2004). Health promotion in institutions of higher education is an integral part of the academic mission, as it supports student success by creating healthy learning environments. To be successful, health promotion models need to consider college based environments and design interventions that are developmentally appropriate and
Young, H.A. "Cultural differences that affect retention of minority students on predominantly White campuses." Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (1983): n.p.