Equity Challenges for Community and Technical College Programs and Students 2014 D. Prince Policy Research Director State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Community and Technical colleges are the major post-secondary entry point for students of color. 2

Our students from under-represented* groups are the lowest socioeconomic status (SES) students we serve. *Smallest % of population 25+with education beyond high school as reported in American Community Survey 3 SES is presented as the ratio of percentage of students in the lowest quintile vs. the highest quintile. A ratio is 1.0 means a student is equally likely to be from either group. When the ratio is higher than 1.0, a student is more likely to be from the lowest quintile. While SES is not based on race/ethnicity, it is not entirely separate from it. The odds are 3 times as likely that we are serving a Black/African American student from the lowest quintile. Conversely an Asian student is more likely to be from the highest SES quintile.

Equity gaps in access and success Prof-Tech: Greater tendency to enroll in training in low-wage fields results in lower earnings for under-represented students when they graduate. Academic Transfer: Lower two-year degree completion rates turn into lower transfer rates for under-represented student groups. BEdA: Highest access point for lowest SES students. Less transition to college for students coming from under- represented populations. 4

Under-represented students do not appear to pursue prof-tech programs based upon potential earnings for graduates 5 Half or more of training programs have wages the above $20/hr median hrly wage. Whites and Asians have the highest proportions (about 4:1) of students in higher wage vs. lower wage programs. Black/African Americans have the lowest proportion (about 2:1). They are more likely to enroll in training for lower wage jobs.

Earnings for prof- tech graduates Differences in quarterly earnings align with earlier education program selections 6

Under-represented students less likely to earn a transfer degree. Students from high SES are more likely than low SES to leave with a transfer degree 7

Not having a transfer degree lowers chance of transfer most significantly for under-represented and low SES students 8 % All Degree Exiters Enrolled Next Year at Next Level % All Exiters, No Degree Enrolled Next Year at Next Level White51%20% Black or African American51%14% American Indian and Alaskan Native47%12% Asian58%25% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander52%11% Hispanic51%15% Other54%20% Ratio to Highest to Lowest SES1.42.5

BEdA students are the lowest SES students we serve and have higher ratios in under- represented groups 9 White Black/ African American American Indian Alaskan Native Asian Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander OtherHispanic Current and Former BEdA Students - Ratio Lowest to Highest SES All Fall 2013 State Support Students - Ratio Lowest to Highest SES

There are substantial differences in who moves beyond basic education 10

Questions Do we start from an equity viewpoint as a system? Are our efforts at a large enough scale to increase equity? 11