Identifying Strategies to Improve African American College Student Retention and Graduation Rates

These claims have been well documented. However, the connection to the graduation gap may be clearer with an answer of how other factors such as financial and other family problems brought about by poverty affect them. The rest of the book provides possible solutions to questions of invisibility such as respecting and valuing black students. Another solution is removing remedial programs for challenging curricula and supports that are appropriate.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) are experiencing low retention rates with first generation college students. The students are not graduating within a four to six year enrollment period, and or are not returning after their freshmen year. As the American workforce looks to colleges and universities to fulfill the workforce pipeline with educated diverse workers, HBCUs are in the spotlight to produce qualified minority graduates. Moreover, HBCU’s are looking to refine their methods of inclusion and buy-in, this will in-turn manifest a higher level of retention amongst first generation college students.

In each year from 1998 through 2000 there was a 1%-point decline in the graduation rate for black men. But for the past 4 years the graduation rate for black men increase by a 1% point and now stand at a 35%. This year the college graduation rate for black women rose by one percentage point to 46%. With many years of hard work African American thrive for a better education ignoring the statistic that states that 9.6% of African American would drop out of high school. African American prove that they can achieve and will achieve.

The number of diverse students entering and graduating from post-secondary institutions is increasing at rapid rates (Education Trust, 2015; Georgetown University Center, 2012). Between the years 2003 and 2013, 77% of public institutions improved graduation rates for underrepresented groups, including African-American, Hispanic, and Native American students (Education Trust, 2015). Despite this increase, there continues to be a graduation gap between underrepresented minority students and White students. Nationally, 42% percent of Black students that enter college will graduate while 62% of White students will graduate (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 2005). There is a similar graduation gap for college students who are the first in their family to attend college, or first-generation students. Sixty percent of first generation students that enter college will attend college for six years without receiving a bachelor’s degree (Smith, 2012). Historically underrepresented students and first generation students face unique challenges and hardships that can make graduation difficult (Hunter, Laursen & Seymour, 2007; Jett, Curry, & Vernon-Jackson, 2016; Schwartz, 2012). High impact practices such as the Ronal McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Program) are designed to increase historically disadvantages and first generation student learning and retention in college. An importance aspect of high impact programs such as the McNair

In 2010, Black females “earned twice the number of baccalaureate degrees than Black males (66% vs 34%). Also, 70% of Black men do not complete a college degree within six years,” according to “Deficient or Resilient: A Critical Review of Black Male Academic Success and Persistence in Higher Education.” Black males are usually a product of their environment which translates into their performance in college. Most of them will have friends and family who may discourage them and even encourage them to participate in illegal activities. Black males are not only prideful but they also put on a façade to the world that hinders their success. According to the same article, factors that contribute to a Black males success in college include “the ability to…becom[e] engaged on campus through leadership opportunities, the development of meaningful relationships with peers and mentors, and receiving ample familial and spiritual support.” In spite of the fact that, Black male students are often more successful at an HBCU because they feel more valued, they still have no chance to catch up with their female peers. They do not have the ambition and persistence to work hard particularly through the challenges that they face daily. They let their past failures, and their present obstacles define their future. Black males take the easy route and sell illegal drugs, commit robbery, gamble, rape and degrade women, and forget about the importance of their education, for a temporary relief. According to the article that is previously stated, “Black male attainment at HBCUs has declined by 6% in a single decade, and is currently hovering at 29%, in contrast with the 57% graduate rate of female counterparts.” In this article there is a study taken of 44 Black Males in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs at HBCUs. This

The United States of America often forgets that historically black colleges and universities were created out of necessity. It has only been a couple of decades since African Americans have been allowed to get degrees from predominantly white institutions. Millions of African Americans have given their blood, sweat, and tears in hopes of gaining basic rights like education to their descendants. America has come a long way within the past fifty years but there is still a disconnect when it comes to believing what the average African American can accomplish as an individual. When it comes to historically black colleges and universities there is still a stigma that the education is less rigorous and

The past has shown that minorities do in fact have equal opportunities compared to the white majority, but they do not use them. There are statistics from the AAMC saying the average MCAT scores and GPAs of applicants who are Latino, Black or American Indian are lower than those of their White and Asian American peers (Liliana M Garces). Liliana M. Garces is an Assistant Professor in the Higher Education Program and a Research Associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University. With her contributions to this area of study, people can see how the ever-growing population of minorities in the United States is becoming an issue. If the minorities can now still get into colleges and universities with these

The equal opportunity that affirmative action provides has also increased the amount of minority applicants applying to each school. It has “resulted in doubling or tripling the number of minority applications to colleges or universities, and have made colleges and universities more representative of their surrounding community” (Messerli). Since the playing field has been evened, it has encouraged more of those who are disadvantaged because of their ethnicity to apply for and get admitted into college. However, the quotas cause schools to admit under qualified students of minor races who don’t meet the limit over highly qualified students who’s race has reached the limit.

Along with the political changes that have happened regarding race in America, educational changes as well as standards have risen as well. It is not a surprise that the correlation between college attendance rates for African

Since the introduction of affirmative action in 1961, the number of minorities at predominantly white universities and colleges has increased dramatically (Smedley, Myers, and Harrell). Unfortunately, in recent decades the academic achievement gap among the races has greatly widened and persists in modern times. Across American university and college campuses, minority students are experiencing high dropout rates, low grade point averages (GPA), and decreasing graduation rates. While it would be easy to point to personal troubles or character flaws such as laziness, lack of commitment, or personal distress as being responsible for this disparity in education, American sociologist, Charles Wright Mills, asserts that, “Neither the life of an

In the United States the population of racial/ethnic minorities is growing. 34% of the American Population is persons of color according to the United States Census Bureau. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). 32% of students enrolled in institutions of higher education were minority students in 2004 (NCES, 2007). The culture of a majority of campuses is changing because of the increased presence of minority students. Traditionally universities enrolled mainly

African-American students are graduating at a record rate of 70.7 percent. That sounds excellent when you consider where it once was, but it is still over 11 percentage points lower than students of other races. In fact, when you look at those numbers from another angle, they show that almost one-third of

Kim, M. M., Conrad, C. F. (2006). The impact of historically black colleges and universities on the academic success of african-american students. Research in Higher Education 47(4), 399-427.

In today 's world where the population, especially of the United States, is growing gloriously diverse, institutions of higher education must also reflect this aspect in their student body. The purpose of colleges and universities is to provide students with the education and experience they need to succeed after graduating as well as expand their thoughts and perspectives. Thus, they must create and maintain a similar environment in which students will live and work in the future. Although diversity has been emphasized as a priority for many schools, socioeconomic diversity is often disregarded. However, socioeconomic diversity plays an important role in developing the perspectives and minds of students. Thus, it is essential for the admission offices, especially of prestigious universities like the University of Pennsylvania, to recruit and admit more economically disadvantaged students as well as for the schools to meet the needs of and maintain those students.

filled society. African Americans have encountered centuries of racism, oppression, and domestic terrorism by individuals who have deterred them to succeed. The problem under investigation is the low acceptance rate of African American males into top tier colleges and universities. The question is what are the strategies to help African American male students be prepared and graduate from the best institutions of higher learning in the United States? The study focuses on African American male students ranging from grades