Penn GSE News
Is There Equity for Black College Students in the South?
African-Americans are more likely to get their college education in one of the 19 Southern or Southern-border states than in the rest of the country.
But how does their standing compare to white students in terms of enrollment and graduation?
A recent study from the University of Pennsylvania shows that, although some progress has been made, public higher education in the South remains highly inequitable for African-American students.
Details of the study are outlined in "The Status of Equity for Black Undergraduates in Public Higher Education in the South: Still Separate and Unequal," by Laura Perna, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education.
Prospects for black students vary, depending on the kind of institution they attend, Perna found. Public four-year HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and public two-year colleges offer greater opportunity, while flagship institutions provide substantially less opportunity.
Public four-year HBCUs are the only sector in which African-Americans consistently approach or achieve equity in enrollment and degree completion across the 19 states.
Nor does federal civil rights enforcement guarantee improvement. Eight of the states studied have been ruled in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while 11 still remain under federal oversight, either through the courts or the Office for Civil Rights.
Nonetheless, in states in all three categories, African-Americans experience considerable inequity in first-time, full-time enrollments and bachelor's degree completion. Again, the the greatest inequity occurs at the public flagship institutions.
Data from this study came from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, the postsecondary education data collection program for U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.
States in the study are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Nationwide, these 19 states account for 59 percent of all Black students and 41 percent of all students.
CONTACT: Nancy Brokaw, 215-573-0592, nbrokaw@gse.upenn.edu
But how does their standing compare to white students in terms of enrollment and graduation?
A recent study from the University of Pennsylvania shows that, although some progress has been made, public higher education in the South remains highly inequitable for African-American students.
Details of the study are outlined in "The Status of Equity for Black Undergraduates in Public Higher Education in the South: Still Separate and Unequal," by Laura Perna, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education.
Prospects for black students vary, depending on the kind of institution they attend, Perna found. Public four-year HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and public two-year colleges offer greater opportunity, while flagship institutions provide substantially less opportunity.
Public four-year HBCUs are the only sector in which African-Americans consistently approach or achieve equity in enrollment and degree completion across the 19 states.
Nor does federal civil rights enforcement guarantee improvement. Eight of the states studied have been ruled in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while 11 still remain under federal oversight, either through the courts or the Office for Civil Rights.
Nonetheless, in states in all three categories, African-Americans experience considerable inequity in first-time, full-time enrollments and bachelor's degree completion. Again, the the greatest inequity occurs at the public flagship institutions.
Data from this study came from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, the postsecondary education data collection program for U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.
States in the study are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Nationwide, these 19 states account for 59 percent of all Black students and 41 percent of all students.
CONTACT: Nancy Brokaw, 215-573-0592, nbrokaw@gse.upenn.edu