(NAME-MCE) Progress on Minority Graduation Rates

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Progress on Minority Graduation Rates

Education Trust, which just two weeks ago released a report slamming
flagship universities for not doing enough to enroll and graduate low-income
and minority students, is drawing attention to some success stories. On
Thursday, the organization released its analysis on colleges that have made
notable progress in increasing minority graduation rates and/or narrowing
the gap between minority and non-minority graduation rates. For example, the
analysis notes that Georgia State University increased its minority
graduation rate from 32.3 percent in 2002 to 50.7 percent in 2007. And the
University of Wisconsin at Madison increased its minority graduation rate by
11.5 percentage points, to 60.4 percent.

www.edtrust.org/dc/press-room/press-release/some-public-colleges-and-universities-are-making-gains-closing-gaps-in-g
Some Public Colleges and Universities Are Making Gains, Closing Gaps in
Graduation Rates for Minority Students
 Contact info:
  *Lauren Stephens <lstephens at edtrust.org>* 202/293-1217 x373

*Data from College Results Online Show Progress at Various Institutions
Throughout the United States*

WASHINGTON (January 28, 2010) – When choosing a college, many young people
often make their decision based on popularity and prestige. What they may
not consider is the school’s track record in actually graduating students.

     For students of color, this issue is particularly important:
Nationally, only about 40 percent of underrepresented minority, or URM,
students (African American, Latino, and Native American) earn a bachelor’s
degree within six years. The figure for nonminority students is more than 60
percent. But according to two briefs released today by The Education Trust,
many institutions of varying types are ensuring that far more young
Americans of color earn a degree.

     “*Top Gainers<http://www.edtrust.org/sites/edtrust.org/files/publications/files/CRO%20Brief%20Top%20Gainers.pdf>
*” and “*Top Gap
Closers<http://www.edtrust.org/sites/edtrust.org/files/publications/files/CRO%20Brief%20Top%20Gap%20Closers.pdf>
*” highlight public institutions nationwide that have made the biggest
improvements in these areas. For example, since 2002:

   - *Georgia State University*—a research university in downtown
   Atlanta—boosted its minority graduation rate by 18.4 percentage points. In
   2002, only 32.3 percent of minority students graduated in six years. By
   2007, that rate had increased to 50.7 percent—which exceeds the school’s
   non-minority graduation rate of 45.5 percent. The university ranks fifth
   nationwide in the number of bachelor’s degrees granted to African-American
   students, according to Diverse magazine.
   - The *University of Wisconsin-Madison*, a school with a relatively small
   population of minority students, improved its URM graduation rate by 11.5
   percentage points to 60.4 percent. At the same time, their gap between
   non-URM and URM students narrowed by 8.9 points. In 2007, Wisconsin’s
   minority students graduated at almost 20 percentage points above the
   national average.
   - The URM graduation rate at rural *Western Oregon University* jumped
   from 17.5 percent in 2002 to 42.3 percent in 2007. Now, the gap between
   minority graduation rates and nonminority graduation rates at this public
   liberal arts college is just 3.1 percentage points.
   - *Richard Stockton College of New Jersey*—a suburban campus located near
   Atlantic City—increased its URM graduation rate by 7.5 percentage points,
   improving to 58.5 percent in 2007.

     “Nationwide, two-thirds of minority students who attend a four-year
college attend a public institution,” said Christina Theokas, director of
research at The Education Trust and coauthor of the briefs. “Given their
mission to serve the higher education needs of their communities and their
states, it’s critical for public institutions to not just provide access to
these students but also help more of them succeed. The good news is that
some are taking that charge seriously.”

     Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System  and
*College Results Online <http://www.collegeresults.org/>*—a unique Web-based
tool that allows the public to view college graduation rates by race,
ethnicity, and gender—the studies found that about 60 percent of public
four-year colleges have seen improved graduation rates for students of color
since 2002. At the same time, 46 percent of these institutions narrowed the
graduation-rate gap between minority and nonminority students.

     The significant gains made by these schools in boosting minority
student success and closing gaps are not just happenstance. The public
colleges and universities recognized in these briefs have made success for
all students—especially minorities—a primary focus.

     At Georgia State, for example, minority students now graduate at rates
higher than their nonminority classmates, putting them atop the list of best
improvers in each of the two Ed Trust briefs. According to Ron Henry, the
school’s former provost and senior vice president for academic affairs,
these gains came first and foremost by focusing on data. Henry and his
colleagues used data to identify various potholes on the path to a
bachelor’s degree for GSU students, from high failure rates in introductory
courses to high dropout rates between the sophomore and junior years, when
students transition into courses for their majors.

     Although GSU took a campuswide approach to improving outcomes for all
students, when administrators disaggregated the data, they found that some
programs were particularly effective for minority students. For example,
first-year learning communities—where faculty members coordinate teaching
two or more courses and often serve as advisers to the same group of
students—were instrumental in improving retention rates between the freshman
and sophomore years by five to six percentage points for all students. But
for minority students, these rates rose by ten to 12 percentage points.

     “Georgia State’s example demonstrates that public institutions can
strive for access and success simultaneously. Institutions should see these
as twin goals, not an either-or proposition,” said Jennifer Engle, assistant
director of higher education at The Education Trust and coauthor of the
briefs. “To reach President Obama’s goal of regaining the global lead in
educated adults by 2020, graduating more students—especially from
fast-growing minority groups—must be a national priority.”

     This work was supported by a grant from Lumina Foundation for
Education. The foundation works to ensure that 60 percent of Americans are
college-educated by 2025.