The Racial Gap in Higher Education

Over the years there has been a gap between different races when it comes to high school completion and higher education. In the last few decades, most races have seen a jump in high school completion. High school completion rates are shown by race in the table below.

Race	High School Completion Rate
Asians	91%
Whites	88%
African Americans	78%
American Indians	72%
Hispanics	71%

Although Hispanics have the lowest high school completion rate, they have seen the largest increase among other races while African Americans have seen the lowest. On the other hand, all races have seen a rise in college enrolment rates. So what is the problem? The problem is that there is still a large gap in higher education enrollment at colleges and universities between races. In addition to racial gaps, studies have shown even larger gaps between genders. More women have been enrolling in higher education than men over the last two decades.

There are many reasons for the higher education enrollment gaps between races. Dr. JoAnn Canales, the Dean of Graduate Studies at Texas A&M University states the problem primarily lies in the “increasing cost of higher education and the lack of sufficient financial aid targeted to low-income students.” Canales also believes “the lack of people to mentor these young students” is a major reason for the racial gap in enrollment. Inner city schools with high Latino populations tend to lack experienced teachers and are not well equipped with school supplies such as schools found in wealthier communities and suburbs. Parents want to provide a better education for their children, but improvements need to be made in lower education levels in order for students to continue to grow as they get older.

With the recent jump in Hispanic enrollment rates at colleges and universities, we are finally seeing improvements in education between races. After watching the film “Walk Out,” I was able to get a better idea of how serious the problem was between race and education. I learned that it is important for students to have mentors who guide them towards a better education and success. Every student should receive an equal education and opportunity for higher education. At the recent Latino Institute’s annual conference, Yvette Donado, Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of Educational Testing Service, explained it best. She said, "People are coming together, sacrificing, demonstrating that Latinos have proven to be self-sufficient and contributing members of the American society. They are law-abiding, hard-working, entrepreneurial and devoted to family. The only thing they want is an equal chance to live the American dream."

http://diversity.ucsc.edu/resources/images/ace_report.pdf

http://www.voxxi.com/latinos-higher-education-attainment

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/4/11/the_future_of_hispanics_in_higher.htm