Current Higher Ed Pipeline Can Not Support Increased Number of Young Men of Color

Regardless of the actual capabilities of the education pipeline today, young men of color have trouble understanding their options and navigating the system while concurrently managing the circumstances of their lives. Their individual situations points simply to the reality that this group has to be unusually creative and resilient when it comes to earning a degree.

The Way We See It

For young men of color, the pipeline approach is untenable because their journey to college completion is comprised of various pathways that can include everything from dropping out of high school but later achieving a GED (General Educational Development) credential, delaying college entry, initially enrolling part-time in college, transferring from one college to another, stopping out of college and returning several years later, managing probation terms, and/or working while attending college

Bottom line is that the route to a college degree is often complex and indirect. Many students find themselves on convoluted pathways with many diversions, drop out routes, pit stops and exits. And frequently, the path takes them far outside the capabilities of the existing pipeline.

Until we meet the real needs of young men of color, those seeking a college degree will continue to pursue whatever pathways they can find or construct to reach their educational goals. (Which also suggests an enormous opportunity for innovating the current pipeline approach into more personalized pathways for degree attainment.)

What do you think?

 

RELATED

Last month a report was issued by Penn State related to black male student success in higher education. Most interesting is the similarity in report findings with our ethnographic study to capture the higher ed experiences of young men of color (African American, Asian/Pacific-Islander, Hispanic/Latino and Native American.) In particular, how effectively (or ineffectively) students build a web of support impacts success.

Yet what is perhaps most striking - and warrants further investigation - is that in the Student Experience Lab study, the themes and insights profiled reflect inclusively all ethnic groups studied. And as we began to listen and observe student stories, we found significant similarity of experience across the four different population groups. This surprised us, as much of the literature tends to silo each group. While we in no way dismiss the unique cultural factors and circumstances for the young men of each population group, the commonalities of experiences they shared with us far outweigh the differences.