hispanic male retention at 2-year colleges

Ashley Watts

Hispanic Male Retention at 2-year Colleges

In working with the Dean of Student Affairs, I was asked to focus on creating a program for the

minority male students on campus. The event, titled the Minority Male Success Summit, was

targeted at African American and Hispanic males. While putting the event together, I began to

read a number of articles and studies about minority male students. One report in particular from

the College Board peaked my interest. The Educational Experience of Young Men of

Color (EEYMC) clearly laid out the staggering differences between the educational attainment

of minority males, particularly Hispanics, African Americans and Native American/Pacific

Islanders, and their Caucasian and Asian American counterparts (Lee, Ransom & College Board

Advocacy & Policy, 2011). The high school drop out, unemployment and incarnation rates of

these populations was unconscionable (Lee et. al, 2011).

According to the EEYMC (2011) only 18 percent of Hispanic males have and associate

degree or higher (Lee et. at, 2011). When you consider the fact that Hispanics are the majority

minority making up 14.8 percent of population in America in 2006 and are the fastest growing

population at a rate of three times that of the general population, the education of Hispanic males

in becomes a national issue (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). This fact is supported by President

Obama's signing of “Executive Order 135555, renewing the White House Initiative on

Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans... [which] provide[s] advice and guidance to the

secretary of education on education issues related to Hispanics and to address academic

excellence and opportunities to the Hispanic community” (Lee et. al, 2011, p. 73).

While research has consistently proven that the attrition rates for community college

students are much higher than that of students at 4-year institutions, Hispanics who pursue higher

education attend still attend two-year schools at a rate of 54.4 percent (Saenz and Ponjuan,

2009). Unfortunately, “Latino students are [also] more likely to drop out if they begin their

college studies at a two-year college,” and in 2003 the graduation rate of students attending

community colleges was about 17 percent (Martinez, 2004; Garcia, 2010). Furthermore,

Hispanic males are the least degree earning demographic (Lee et. al, 2011). These statistics paint

a clear picture of how important it is to keep this population in school and to help them to be

successful in their journey and transition to “senior” institutions or into the workforce.

There are several factors that affect student retention and attrition, as well as several

theories that have been developed to explain this phenomenon; however, “research specific to

Hispanic students attending community colleges [is]… in its infancy stages, and there is no one

comprehensive theory to explain the specific factors influencing this unique group of students”

(Crisp, 2010). Drawing from the work of scholars Tinto, Nora, and Bourdieu, which focused on

retention and attrition of traditionally aged students at 4-year institutions, Crisp (2010) was able

to create a framework for understanding retention specific to the this population. The variables

were then grouped into five (5) categories: pre-college variables, demographic variables, socio-

cultural variables, environmental pull factors, and academic experiences (Crisp, 2010). Summers

(2003) through his work on student attrition at community colleges formulated five (5) similar

groups of variables that are comparable to Crips’s (2010). They are academic ability; student

characteristics; other student characteristics; noncognitive factors and availability and use of

student services, respectively. The challenge is determining what makes Hispanic male retention

a unique issue and once it is those specific issues are pinpointed, establishing ways in which

community colleges can address it through new or existing avenues.

There are several pre-college variables linked to persistence that are common to all

students, such as high school courses taken, high school grade point average (GPA) and delayed

enrollment in college. Burns (2010) cites that “academic preparedness is the single most

important factor in determining college success” (pp. 34-35). The problem is that students

enrolling in community college typically come from low-income neighborhoods with subpar

schools and where students are inadequate prepared for the challenges of collegiate level work

(Burns, 2010). For students of color these problems begin very early on. According to Saenz and

Ponjuan (2009) “boys in grades 4 through 8 are twice as likely as girls to be held back a grade,

and the rate is even higher for boys of color” (p. 59). Additionally, “Latino students are more

likely to be overrepresented in special education, and recent data suggest that they tend to be

especially overidentified during their high school years… which makes their college pathways

that much more difficult to navigate” (Saenz and Ponjuan, 2009, p. 60).

Often compounding negative pre-college variables are demographic and socio-cultural

variables, such as language barriers, parents who have not attended college and family

responsibilities (Crisp, 2010). “Students who are first in their family to attend a postsecondary

institution have no knowledge about timelines and deadlines for filing federal financial aid”

(Garcia, 2010). If deadlines for aid are not met, there is increased pressure to work in order to

pay for school and possibly help with family financial obligations, which begins to pull students

away from academic endeavors. The work of Saenz and Ponjuan (2009) sheds more light on the

issue explaining the cultural “expectations for the Latino male to work in order to contribute to

the family’s well-being” (p. 55). This is even more pronounced among young immigrants still

entrenched in more traditional ways of thinking (Saenz and Ponjuan, 2009). Unfortunately,

“students who [work] full time [are] more likely to drop out of college when compared to those

who worked part-time or not at all” (Summers, 2003, p. 71). These conflicts between school and

family obligations are often cited among the reasons a student drops out (Summers, 2003, p. 71).

Financial aid received and hours worked are part of what Crisp (2010) calls,

“environmental pull factors” (p. 178). These factors can be mitigated if students have good

academic experiences, such as spending time with faculty or academic advisors and taking

developmental coursework (Crisp, 2010). Fike (2008) found success in developmental

coursework to increase the likelihood of retention. In the same study, involvement in Student

Support Services which “requires students to meet regularly with their advisors, complete

midsemester grade checks, and complete a long-term plan of study” was shown to improve

retention (Fike, 2009, p. 82). Summers (2003) informs us that “students who were contacted by

and visited with a counselor were more likely to persist than other students,” (p. 72).

It is important, however, for those teaching and counseling Hispanic males to understand

their culture. It is well documented that students who are matched with mentors of the same

ethnicity and gender feel their mentors are more helpful personally and professionally (Santos

and Reigadas, 2002; Campbell and Campbell, 2007; Pope, 2002). However, there is a “lack of

Latino male teachers at all… levels” (Saenz, p. 62). This is problematic because, as Martinez

(2004) explains:

teaching and learning is a contextualized process in which certain cultural forms

become legitimized through their inclusion or delegitimized through their

absence… Nowhere perhaps are these issues more relevant than in the context of

the community college where more and more diverse students are seeking

educational opportunities and mobility. (p. 56)

Even students with positive pre-college variables may eventually drop out if environmental

variables are negative, according to Bean and Metzner (Summers, 2010). The opposite, however,

is also true. A positive environment can help a low-performing student to persist (Summers,

2010).

Martinez (2004) points out that “Latinos will continue to turn to higher education as a

vehicle for upward social, political, and economic mobility and our social institutions will

depend on community colleges to prepare, train, and support” them (p. 60). As student affairs

professionals, whether serving at a 2-year or 4-year institution, we can play an integral role in

changing the landscape of higher education and the nation by helping creating an environment in

which Hispanic males succeed. Though we cannot control students’ pre-college experience,

socio-cultural variables or demographics, we can influence the college environment and

academic experiences. We can become mentors and advocates for these students, ensuring that

they are aware of the resources available to them. We should be leading the way, linking arms

with faculty to serve every student to the best of our abilities.

References

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literature. Community College Enterprise, 16(2), 33-61. Retrieved from ERIC

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