Hispanic
Students and Community Colleges: A Critical Point for Intervention
ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges
Victor
B. Saenz
EDO-JC-02-08
In
recent years issues pertaining to Hispanics* in higher education have garnered
heightened
attention from researchers and policy makers, and as part of this attention,
community
colleges have begun to receive increased attention as the decisive link in
the
greater
overall educational attainment of this group.
Hispanic college student
enrollments
have increased steadily during the last two decades, driven by increases at
two-year
institutions that saw the number of Hispanic students triple (NCES, 2001,
Table
207).
Despite the surge in enrollment, this group remains notably underrepresented
at all
levels
of higher education, and has one of the lowest overall educational attainment
rates
of
any major ethnic or racial group (U.S. Census Bureau, 1998). Nonetheless, the
community
college sector has become a critical avenue towards higher degree attainment
for
Hispanic students as evidenced by the increasing number choosing this path
(Wilds &
Wilson,
1998; Fry, 2002).
This
digest explores the status of Hispanic students at community colleges,
including
a summary of recent enrollment and transfer trends, a focus on factors that
shape
Hispanic student enrollment at community colleges, and an overview of an
exemplary
program that facilitates the successful matriculation of Hispanic college
students
from two-year institutions to baccalaureate completion.
Recent
Trends for Hispanic Community College Students
Community
colleges represent the frontline in educating students from diverse
backgrounds,
as America's 1,076 public community colleges educate over half of all
minority
students in higher education (NCES, 2001, Table 245). While Hispanics are
underrepresented
in four-year institutions, they are well represented in two-year
institutions,
where more than 55 percent of all Hispanic students enroll (Wilds & Wilson,
1998).
Enrollment growth for Hispanics in the community colleges may be partly due
to
the
fact according to the United States Census Bureau (2000) this group is the
fastest-
growing,
youngest, and largest racial or ethnic group in the United States accounting
for
approximately
13 percent of the population. In light
of this growth, the Hispanic college-
age
population has increased by 14 percent since 1994, expanding the potential
college
applicant
pool (Harvey, 2002).
As
Hispanic students become more concentrated at post-secondary institutions,
their
overrepresentation at community colleges is seen by some policy makers,
researchers,
and practitioners as a detriment to their educational attainment; others see
it
as
a sign of good things to come. In
general, it is noted that more than half of all students
that
begin at two-year institutions never achieve any type of post-secondary degree
(García,
2001; Rendón & Garza, 1996). For
Hispanic community college students, this
trend
is even more pronounced, as their transfer and persistence rates are among
the
lowest
(Harvey, 2002; Rendón & Garza, 1996).
As a result, some critics view the
community
college as an obstacle to further educational attainment, and ultimately as
way
to perpetuate social stratification (Karabel, 1972). Others argue that most Hispanic
students
tend to choose community colleges out of necessity, as they are often the
only
feasible
affordable choice for a college education (Rendón & Garza, 1996). In general, it
can
be argued that community colleges facilitate postsecondary opportunities for
those
who
might not otherwise attend and thereby act as a catalyst to the baccalaureate
for a
host
of students.
Factors
that Affect Hispanic Student Enrollment at Community Colleges
For
Hispanic students, the decision to attend a community college is often the
most
sensible choice available. Students
are attracted to community colleges not always
as
a means of transfer to four-year institutions, but precisely because they
offer
vocational
preparation, adult education, remedial schooling, and career enhancement for
professionals. In addition, community colleges are more affordable,
offer many night
and
weekend classes, willingly accept part-time students, offer neighborhood
convenience,
and have an open admissions policy. These
are among the most common
and
practical reasons for any student who might choose to attend a community college,
but
for Hispanic students, there are some additional factors that affect this
decision.
For
one, young Hispanic adults have an extraordinarily high labor force
participation
rate, as contributing to the household expenses is a common necessity in
most
Hispanic households (Fry, 2002). Hispanic
women face additional cultural stressors
in
navigating the higher education pipeline, as entrenched gender roles in Hispanic
families
can act as suppressors to their educational and career aspirations (Romo,
1998;
Rendón,
1992). Nevertheless, Hispanic women
also continue to be more likely than their
male
counterparts to participate in higher education (Harvey, 2002). Further, the longer
Hispanics
wait to enter higher education, the more likely they will enroll in a community
college,
as a significant portion of the Hispanic community college population is made
up
of
students over the age of 24 (Fry, 2002).
It is important to note that a strong
commitment
to work and family does not prevent Hispanics from attaining post-
secondary
education, although a sense of these responsibilities coupled with low income
status
might be factors in explaining why so many attend affordable and conveniently
located
community colleges on a part-time basis (Fry, 2002). Ultimately, cultural
validation
is crucial to increasing the persistence and transfer rates among all Hispanic
students
in community colleges, and any interventions targeting this population must
be
sensitive
to this type of cultural awareness (Laden, 1998). One exemplary program that
has
done well in employing a cultural-specific strategy is the Puente program.
Affecting
Transfer Rates through Programmatic Intervention
Some
states have engaged in programmatic efforts targeting Hispanic community
college
students, and among the most recognizable and lauded efforts is the Puente
Project,
a 20-year collaborative partnership between the California community colleges
and
the University of California. Originally
conceived as an institutional response to the
low
transfer and associate degree completion rates of Hispanic community college
students,
the Puente Project currently serves students at 45 community colleges and
31
high
schools throughout California. Its
goal is to increase the number of educationally
underserved
students who transfer from two-year to four-year institutions and earn
degrees.
Community
college educators Patricia McGrath and Felix Galaviz founded the
Puente
project on the premise that greater participation by the Hispanic community
would
engender more institutional accountability and responsiveness, and ultimately
a
more
effective and culturally sensitive educational environment (McGrath &
Galaviz,
1996). An important documented component of the Puente
project is how it addresses
the
unique needs of Hispanic students by affirming their ethnic identities and
validating
their
experiences through curricular offerings (Laden, 1998). In another recent
evaluation
by Gándara & Bial (2001), Puente was one of seven programs nationwide
to
offer
three or more different types of counseling services, and the only one to
use a
comprehensive
suite of personal enrichment and social integration strategies.
Specifically,
the report praised the regular interaction that students have with a Puente
counselor
as well as a community mentor who serves as a positive role model. Another
mark
of success is that approximately 50 percent of Puente students who complete
the
Puente
program transfer to a four-year institution within three years (Laden, 2000).
By
employing
targeted early intervention as well as ongoing exposure to culturally enriched
environments,
the Puente model serves as a prime template in designing programs geared
toward
increased persistence and transfer of Hispanic students.
Conclusion
This
Digest has explored the status of Hispanic community college students and
a
sampling
of factors that affect their enrollment and persistence. Programs such as Puente
that
target early intervention, expose students to culturally validating environments,
and
help
in the transfer process to four-year institutions, are playing a more critical
role for
Hispanic
students' movement through the education pipeline. In light of the changing
demographics
of the college applicant pool, community colleges will continue to be a
critical
point for Hispanic students' entry into postsecondary education.
More
specifically, in reconsidering the rising enrollments and the stagnant
persistence
rates of Hispanic students, the transfer function must be the crucial point
of
intervention. If real strides are to be made in increasing
the overall educational
achievement
of this group, researchers and policymakers must continue to study and
address
the needs of this population, and any intervention should be focused on Hispanic
students
already in the higher education system.
References