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Minorities in Higher Education is Minorities and Higher Education

In a multicultural country such as the United States of America it is important that everyone no matter ethnicity or race have an equal competitive start in regards to education. “A postsecondary degree is widely accepted as a basic goal in education, and the U.S. labor market reinforces that expectation with substantial financial rewards.”(source) Due to a large percentage of minorities students living in underprivileged areas, the public school system is left with a responsibility to educate students about all educational endeavors post graduation. In a recent study in 2007 titled “Schools not Preparing Minorities for College” involving the Alexandria school system in Alexandria, VA, data proved that the school system inadequately prepared African American and Hispanic American students for college due to lack of guidance counseling and a “two- track school system.” (source) One track was reportedly “a college preparatory track available to mostly middle-class White students, and the other a low-level track that was reserved for mostly poor students of color." (source) School officials were upset with the report and deemed it unfair that the study did not indicate the improvements the school system had taken . Advancement Project attorney James Freeman who collected data for the survey is now working in other underprivileged areas who lack qualified teachers and book resources. Freeman’s aspiration is to help educate school districts in raising minority-student achievement and prepare more students for higher education.

Although the number of minorities in college has increased substantially in recent years, the percentage changes are much smaller and major gaps remain among the principal U.S. ethnic groups.(sources) Through out the years studies have shown that although more minorities have enrolled in institutions’ of higher education only a small percentage graduate.

African Americans :

As of 2008, African Americans made up 14% of the population in the United States. In 2006 and 2007 data was comprised to show the statistics of Black students in institutions of higher learning. While 82% of blacks received a high school diploma in 2007 only 61% enrolled into college while only 21% graduated. Although statistics show a vast improvement in the matriculation of black students through out college many factors prohibit many minority students from graduating.

Asian Americans :

“Like African Americans, Latinos, and American Indians, Asian Americans have had to fight a long battle to have access to desegregated and equal educational opportunities.”(source) The minority group has had to fight inequality which would not allow admittance into certain institutions of higher education. Asian Americans make up 5% of the United States population as of 2008 and 83% of Asian American students finish high school. With 42% of all Asian American earning a college degree they lead the nation among minority groups in terms of higher education.(source)

Latino Americans :

Latinos Americans make up 15% of the United States population and make up the smallest group of minorities with successful completion of their Bachelor degree. A study conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center shows that although many Latino’s are enrolled in college they pursue routes that do not usually led to a Bachelor degree. (source) Findings show that due to a main focus on primary and secondary education because of high drop out rates, higher education is at times overlooked.(source)

Native Americans :

“Colleges and universities have failed to meet the unique educational needs of Native American students, whose attrition rates are far in excess of those of other students” (source) Native Americans have been misrepresented in the segments of society and higher education is not any different. Due to this fact Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs)were formed with a focus programs that cater to Native American language, culture and community