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BOOK EXCERPT
"Declining by Degrees"
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From "LEAVING THE NEWCOMERS BEHIND"
by Roberto Suro and Richard Fry
... Community colleges and other two-year institutions typically appeal to Latino students on a number of grounds. For one thing, tuition is far lower than at most four-year colleges. Degree programs often are designed to accommodate part-time students, and classes are scheduled in the evenings to accommodate students with full-time jobs. All this is obviously attractive to students from low-income families and those who need to earn a living even as they are studying. Although many Hispanic undergraduates fit that description, economic necessity alone does not explain their higher rates of enrollment in community colleges. If it was all just a matter of money, then we would expect African Americans, who are as poor as Latinos if not poorer, to rely on two-year institutions as well. But, in fact, African Americans attend two-year institutions at a much lower rate than Latinos, indeed a rate similar to that of whites. So we have to look beyond the money issues.
Another part of the appeal is that community colleges usually are located near residential areas and rarely feature dormitories. An emphasis on close family ties is one characteristic shared by most Latinos regardless of national origin or income, and among Latino immigrants this often translates into an expectation that children will live with their parents until they marry. Moreover, many community colleges welcome students with low levels of academic achievement or aptitude, and many also offer classes in English as a second language. Community colleges often have transfer agreements with baccalaureate institutions so that credits earned at a two-year institution can be applied toward a four-year degree, thus providing a cheaper and more accessible way to make a start toward a bachelor's diploma.
Despite these benefits, however, two-year schools may adversely affect Latinos' chances of finishing with a degree. Recent U.S. Department of Education tabulations of student persistence rates suggest that Latino students are more likely to drop out if they begin their college studies at two-year colleges. Starting at a community college decreases the odds of finishing with any kind of degree. More than half of the students who initially enroll at two-year colleges never complete a postsecondary degree, whereas almost six out of ten of those who begin at a four-year college end up completing at least a bachelor's degree. ...
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MEET ADRIANA, JASON, MATT & BRITNEY
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